Authors:

Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

All Quotes Acting Adversity Ambition Appearance Army Art Business Change Character Children Choices Confusion Conspiracy Country Democracy Desire Difficulty Discipline Evil Fighting Giving Gold Greatness Grief Hate Hatred Heaven Honor Humanity Hustle Injury Inspirational Intelligence Judging Liars Liberty Life Literature Loss Love Lying Mankind Military Motivational Opportunity Passion Past Peace Politics Power Prophet Quality Reality Reputation Revenge Risk Safety Son Soul Success Understanding Victory War Winning Wisdom
Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy.

Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Assuming, Conspiracy, Incompetence

The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Lions, Foxes, Traps
Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.55, Knickerbocker Classics

it is better to act and repent than not to act and regret.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Regret, Repent

A government which does not trust its citizens to be armed is not itself to be trusted.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Government, Doe, Citizens

A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one's own ignorance.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Ignorance, Intelligence, Awareness

Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Inspirational, Relationship, Marketing

Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Always Wrong, Hinges

Politics have no relation to morals.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Political, Nerd, Politics

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Work, Philosophical, Men
"The Prince". Book by Niccolo Machiavelli, Ch. 22, 1513.

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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Benefits, Honey, Gains
Niccolo Machiavelli (2009). “The Essential Writings of Machiavelli”, p.456, Modern Library

Before all else, be armed.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Peace, War, Philosophical

The ends justifies the means.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Mean, Ends, Ends Justify The Means
Niccolo Machiavelli (2003). “Discourses on Livy”, p.444, OUP Oxford

All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Mistake, Ambition, Greatness
"The Prince". Book by Niccolò Machiavelli, chapter III: Of Mixed Princedoms, 1513.

Never was anything great achieved without danger.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Success, Philosophical, Danger

You know better than I that in a Republic talent is always suspect. A man attains an elevated position only when his mediocrity prevents him from being a threat to others. And for this reason a democracy is never governed by the most competent, but rather by those whose insignificance will not jeopardize anyone else's self-esteem.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Self Esteem, Men, Democracy

Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Inspirational, Motivational, Passion
Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.222, Race Point Publishing

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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Order
Niccolo Machiavelli (2018). “History of Florence and the Affairs of Italy”, p.115, Ozymandias Press

If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Revenge, Men, Needs

There is nothing more important than appearing to be religious.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Religious, Important, Appearing
"Machiavelli's The Prince, part 6: was Machiavelli an atheist?" by Nick Spencer, www.theguardian.com. April 30, 2012.

Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.

Niccolo Machiavelli
War, Ends, Please
"Florentine Histories" by Niccolò Machiavelli, 1526.

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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
People, Political, Trying

Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Men, Numbers, Trying

Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Wisdom, Eye, Reality

The state is not an organism capable of bringing either moral or material improvements to the populace...but merely a vehicle of power for the men and party in power.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Party, Men, Moral

Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Inspirational, Men, Two
Niccolo Machiavelli (2003). “Discourses on Livy”, p.302, OUP Oxford

You May Also Like: