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Niccolo Machiavelli

Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

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Famous Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

“A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and to imitate those who have been supreme, so that if his ability does not equal theirs, at least it will savor of it. Let him act like the clever archers who, designing to hit the mark which yet appears too far distant, and knowing the limits to which the strength of their bow attains, take aim much higher than the mark, not to reach by their strength or arrow to so great a height, but to be able with the aid of so high an aim to hit the mark they wish to reach.”

IfsMenDoeHas BeensWisdomAbleHopeWishAbilityKnowledgeKnowingPathWiseStrengthDesignOughtHigherLimitsEqualMarkAimExcellenceEqualityAidsSupremeCleverHeightGreat MenBowsBeatenArrowsArcher
Book:The Prince
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“I don't doubt that every prince would like to be both; but since it is hard to accomodate these qualities, if you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved. For it is a good general rule about men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, fearful of danger and greedy for gain....[love] is a link of obligation which men, because they are rotten, will break anything they think doing so serves their advantage; but fear involves dread of punishment, from which they can never escape.”

IfsThinkingMenHardChoicesLove IsQualityBreakDoubtDangerGainsAdvantagePunishmentObligationLiarsLinksFearfulDreadGreedyRottenUngratefulFickleDeceiver
Author:Niccolo Machiavelli
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“If you only notice human proceedings, you may observe that all who attain great power and riches, make use of either force or fraud; and what they have acquired either by deceit or violence, in order to conceal the disgraceful methods of attainment, they endeavor to sanctify with the false title of honest gains.”

IfsHumansMayArtWarUseOrderForceViolenceHonestGainsMethodRichesTitlesDeceitEndeavorFraudArt Of WarAttainmentGreat PowerProceedingDisgracefulSanctify
Book:History of Florence and the Affairs of Italy
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“The reply is, that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting. For it may be said of men in general that they are ungrateful, voluble, dissemblers, anxious to avoid danger, and covetous of gain; as long as you benefit them, they are entirely yours; they offer you their blood, their goods, their life, and their children, as I have before said, when the necessity is remote; but when it approaches, they revolt.”

IfsMenMayChildrenLongArtSaidTwoWarTogetherDifficultBloodDangerOughtOffersBenefitsApproachGainsGoodsAnxiousArt Of WarRevoltUngrateful
Author:Niccolo Machiavelli
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“Therefore, a prudent ruler ought not to keep faith when by so doing it would be against his interest, and when the reasons which made him bind himself no longer exist. If men were all good, this precept would not be a good one; but as they are bad, and would not observe their faith with you, so you are not bound to keep faith with them.”

IfsMenArtMadeWarReasonWould BeInterestOughtBoundsRulersArt Of WarPrudentKeep The Faith
Book:The Prince
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“From the latter he is defended by being well armed and having good allies, and if he is well armed he will have good friends, and affairs will always remain quiet within when they are quiet without, unless they should have been already disturbed by conspiracy; and even should affairs outside be disturbed, if he has carried out his preparations and has lived as I have said, as long as he does not despair, he will resist every attack.”

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Book:The Prince
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“Well used are those cruelties (if it is permitted to speak well of evil) that are carried out in a single stroke, done out of necessity to protect oneself, and are not continued but are instead converted into the greatest possible benefits for the subjects. Badly used are those cruelties which. although being few at the outset, grow with the passing time instead of disappearing. Those who follow the first method can remedy their condition with God and with men; the others cannot possibly survive.”

IfsMenFirstsWellsDoneUsedEvilSpeakGrowsConditionsSubjectsProtectBenefitsMethodOneselfDisappearPassingPassingsCrueltyRemedyStrokes
Book:The Portable Machiavelli
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“And here one must not that hatred is acquired just as much by means of good actions as by bad ones; and so, as I said above, if a prince wishes to maintain the state, he is often obliged not to be good; because whenever that group which you believe you need to support you is corrupted, whether it be the common people, the soldiers, or the nobles, it is to your advantage to follow their inclinations in order to satisfy them; and then good actions are your enemy.”

PeopleIfsNeedsBelieveMeanSaidStatesActionOrderWishCommonEnemySupportGroupsAdvantageHatredSoldierBe GoodInclinationObligedSupport YouGood Actions
Author:Niccolo Machiavelli
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“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.”

IfsKnowsNeedsStatesEnoughLosesKnow HowVirtueSeriousProtectConcernVicesReputationPrudentBad Reputation
Book:The Portable Machiavelli
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