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Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

Historian

Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian historian, political theorist, and philosopher who lived during the Renaissance. He is best known for his book 'The Prince,' which delves into the concepts of power, political tactics, and the art of rule.

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Famous Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

“A man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily come to grief among so many who are not good. Therefore, it is necessary for a prince, who wishes to maintain himself, to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge and not use it according to the necessity of the case.”

Men Use Political Politics Wish Grief Cases Goodness Be Good Profession

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Gold will not always get you good soldiers, but good soldiers can get you gold.”

Political Politics Gold Soldier Good Soldiers

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“It is just as difficult and dangerous to try to free a people that wants to remain servile as it is to enslave a people that wants to remain free.”

People Want Trying Political Politics Difficult Dangerous

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Whoever takes it upon himself to establish a commonwealth and prescribe laws must presuppose all men naturally bad, and that they will yield to their innate evil passions as often as they can do so with safety.”

Men Law Passion Evil Can Do Safety Yield Innate Commonwealth

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Decide which is the line of conduct that presents the fewest drawbacks and then follow it out as being the best one, because one never finds anything perfectly pure and unmixed, or exempt from danger.”

Lines Decision Danger Pure Being The Best Drawbacks

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“A wise prince will seek means by which his subjects will always and in every possible condition of things have need of his government, and then they will always be faithful to him.”

Needs Mean Government Wise Conditions Subjects Faithful Thrive Being Faithful Government Programs

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

“The unarmed man is not just defenseless - he is also contemptible.”

Men Second Amendment Defenseless Unarmed

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it.”

Men Giving May States Law Desire Found Ready Assuming Occasions Display Vicious

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not to suffer.”

Action Suffering Mistake Ambition Making Mistakes Sloth

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Men walk almost always in the paths trodden by others, proceeding in their actions by imitation.”

Men Action Walks Path Imitation Proceeding

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

“They have not any difficulties on the way up because they fly, but they have many when they reach the summit.”

Way Achievement Difficulty Summit

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

“States that rise quickly, just as all the other things of nature that are born and grow rapidly, cannot have roots and ramifications; the first bad weather kills them”

Firsts States Nations Grows Born Roots Weather Ramifications Bad Weather Nigeria Independence

Book:The Portable Machiavelli

Source: The Portable Machiavelli

“I hold it to be of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words towards any one, for neither the one nor the other in any way diminishes the strength of the enemy; but the one makes him more cautious, and the other increases his hatred of you, and makes him more persevering in his efforts to injure you”

Men Way Effort Enemy Military Hatred Increase Threat Diminish Prudence Cautious Insulting

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“When you disarm your subjects, however, you offend them by showing that either from cowardliness or lack of faith, you distrust them; and either conclusion will induce them to hate you.”

Hate Subjects Conclusion Hate You Distrust Lack Of Faith

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“All the armed prophets conquered; all the unarmed ones perished.”

Clarity Prophet Unarmed

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Women are the most charitable creatures, and the most troublesome. He who shuns women passes up the trouble, but also the benefits. He who puts up with them gains the benefits, but also the trouble. As the saying goes, there's no honey without bees.”

Trouble Creatures Benefits Gains Honey Bees Charitable Troublesome

Book:The Essential Writings of Machiavelli

Source: The Essential Writings of Machiavelli

“He who has annexed them, if he wishes to hold them, has only to bear in mind two considerations: the one, that the family of their former lord is extinguished; the other, that neither their laws nor their taxes are altered, so that in a very short time they will become entirely one body with the old principality.”

Ifs Mind Two Law Politics Wish Lord Bears Taxes Former Consideration Altered

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Thus it happens in matters of state; for knowing afar off (which it is only given a prudent man to do) the evils that are brewing, they are easily cured. But when, for want of such knowledge, they are allowed to grow so that everyone can recognize them, there is no longer any remedy to be found.”

Men Want Matter States Government Happens Evil Found Given Grows Knowing Remedy Prudent Afar Brewing

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Men as a whole judge more with their eyes than with their hands.”

Men Whole Hands Eye Judging Prison

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Ability and perseverance are the weapons of weakness.”

Ability Weapons Weakness Perseverance

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation.”

Done Effects Ought Ruins Therapy Neglect Preservation Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Cognitive Therapy

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

“It is better to be bold than too circumspect, because fortune is of a sex which likes not a tardy wooer and repulses all who are not ardent.”

Sex Fortune Likes Boldness Ardent

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“So long as the great majority of men are not deprived of either property or honor, they are satisfied.”

Men Long Honor Majority Property Satisfied Deprived

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“One should never permit a disorder to persist in order to avoid a war, for wars cannot be avoided and can only be deferred to the advantage of others.”

Should War Order Peace Advantage Permit Disorder Persist Avoided

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them.”

War Peace Quality Unnecessary Good Quality

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

“....those who become princes through their skill acquire the pricipality with difficulty, buy they hold onto it with ease.”

Politics Skills Difficulty Ease Acquire

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“....it cannot be called ingenuity to kill one's fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; by these means one can aquire power but not glory.”

Mean Politics Citizens Glory Mercy Fellows Betray Ingenuity

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“....nothing is so unhealthy or unstable as the reputation for power that is not based on one's own power.”

Politics Reputation Unhealthy Unstable

Book:The Portable Machiavelli

Source: The Portable Machiavelli

“....for friendships that are acquired by a price and not by greatness and nobility of character are purchased but are not owned, and at the proper moment they cannot be spent.”

Moments Character Politics Greatness Nobility

Book:The Portable Machiavelli

Source: The Portable Machiavelli

“Many have dreamed up republics and principalities that have never in truth been known to exist; the gulf between how one should live and how one does live is so wide that a man who neglects what is actually done for what should be done learns the way to self-destruction rather than self-preservation.”

Men Way Should Doe Self Done Known Truth Is Destruction Wide Neglect Republic Idealism Preservation Self Destruction Self Preservation

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations.”

Men Justice Particular Judgment Observation Mistaken Generalization

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“I consider it a mark of great prudence in a man to abstain from threats or any contemptuous expressions, for neither of these weaken the enemy, but threats make him more cautious, and the other excites his hatred, and a desire to revenge himself.”

Men Desire Enemy Expression Hatred Mark Threat Revenge Prudence Cautious Contemptuous

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“A prince must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him, and must protect himself from those that will not lose it for him, if this is possible; but if he cannot, he need not concern himself unduly if he ignores these less serious vices.”

Ifs Knows Needs States Enough Loses Know How Virtue Serious Protect Concern Vices Reputation Prudent Bad Reputation

Book:The Portable Machiavelli

Source: The Portable Machiavelli

“Whoever is the cause of another becoming powerful, is ruined himself; for that power is produced by him either through craft or force; and both of these are suspected by the one who has been raised to power.”

Has Beens Force Causes Powerful Power Becoming Raised Crafts Ruined

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

“It is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman.”

Fortune Adventurous Cautious

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

“Because just as good morals, if they are to be maintained, have need of the laws, so the laws, if they are to be observed, have need of good morals.”

Ifs Needs Law Politics Moral Good Moral

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“There is nothing more difficult to plan, more doubtful of success, nor more dangerous to manage than the creation of a new order of things..... Whenever his enemies have occasion to attack the innovator they do so with the passion of partisans, while the others defend him sluggishly so that the innovator and his party alike are vulnerable.”

Order Passion Difficult Leadership Party Enemy Plans Dangerous Creation Manage Vulnerable Occasions Partisans Doubtful Innovators

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“Men seldom rise from low condition to high rank without employing either force or fraud, unless that rank should be attained either by gift or inheritance.”

Men Should Force Power Conditions Lows Fraud Inheritance Employing

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“I hope and hoping feeds my pain I weep and weeping feeds my failing heart I laugh but the laughter does not pass within I burn but the burning makes no mark outside.”

Heart Doe Pain Reading Laughing Failing Laughter Mark Burning Weeping

Author:Niccolo Machiavelli

“The innovator has for enemies all who have done well under the old, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new.”

Wells May Done Politics Enemy Conservatism Defenders Innovators Lukewarm Incredulity

Book:The Prince

Source: The Prince

About the Author

Born: May 3, 1469
Died: June 21, 1527
Known for: Historian
Quotes: 390

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Books & Sources

The PrinceRelated source material

The Portable MachiavelliRelated source material

Machiavelli, More & LutherRelated source material

History of Florence and the Affairs of ItalyRelated source material

Discourses on LivyRelated source material

Machiavelli: The PrinceRelated source material

The Complete Art of WarRelated source material

Niccolò Machiavelli's The PrinceRelated source material

The Art of War and the PrinceRelated source material

The DiscoursesRelated source material

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