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Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes - Page 14

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That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided it is well known that he is an excellent man and revered by his people,

That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided it is well known that he is an excellent man and revered by his people, he can only be attacked with difficulty.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Men
Niccolo Machiavelli (2010). “The Prince”, p.76, FastPencil Inc

For a prince should have two fears: one, internal concerning his subjects; the other, external, concerning foreign powers. From the latter he can always defend himself by his good troops and friends; and he will always have good friends if he has good troops.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Good Friend, Should Have, Two
Niccolo Machiavelli (1979). “The Portable Machiavelli”, p.97, Penguin

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

Niccolo Machiavelli
Men, Long, Honor

War should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Crazy, Military, War

The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Law, Foundation, Literature

Any harm you do to a man should be done in such a way that you need not fear his revenge.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Revenge, Men, Needs

One should never risk one's whole fortune unless supported by one's entire forces.

Niccolo Machiavelli
War, Risk, Should

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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Men, Law, Giving
"Discourses on Livy" by Niccolò Machiavelli, book 1, ch. 3, as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick, 1517.

It may be observed, that provinces amid the vicissitudes to which they are subject, pass from order into confusion, and afterward recur to a state of order again; for the nature of mundane affairs not allowing them to continue in an even course, when they have arrived at their greatest perfection, they soon begin to decline.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Order
"Florentine Histories" by Niccolò Machiavelli, book V, chapter 1, 1526.

Nothing is of greater importance in time of war than in knowing how to make the best use of a fair opportunity when it is offered.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Opportunity
"The Art of War". Book by Niccolò Machiavelli, as translated by Neal Wood, 1965.

For as laws are necessary that good manners may be preserved, so there is need of good manner that laws may be maintained. [It., Perche, cosi come i buoni costumi, per mantenersi, hanno bisogno delli leggi; cosi le leggi per ossevarsi, hanno bisogno de' buoni costumi.]

Niccolo Machiavelli
Law, Good Man, May

And if, to be sure, sometimes you need to conceal a fact with words, do it in such a way that it does not become known, or, if it does become known, that you have a ready and quick defense.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Needs, Defense, Way

I believe that it is possible for one to praise, without concern, any man after he is dead since every reason and supervision for adulation is lacking.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Believe
Niccolo Machiavelli (2013). “The Art of War and the Prince”, p.8, Simon and Schuster

The sinews of war are not gold, but good soldiers; for gold alone will not procure good soldiers, but good soldiers will always procure gold.

Niccolo Machiavelli
War, Soldier, Gold
"Should We Spill Blood Over Oil?" by Laurence W. Beilenson, Kevin Lynch, reason.com. February 1982.

In conclusion, the arms of others either fall from your back, or they weigh you down, or they bind you fast.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Fall, Arms, Conclusion
Niccolo Machiavelli (2015). “The Prince”, p.63, Xist Publishing

A prince must not have any other object nor any other thought… but war, its institutions, and its discipline; because that is the only art befitting one who commands.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Discipline

....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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Mean, Citizens, Politics

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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, Children, War
"The Prince". Book by Niccolo Machiavelli , Ch. 17, as translated by Luigi Ricci (1903), 1513.

Men nearly always follow the tracks made by others and proceed in their affairs by imitation, even though they cannot entirely keep to the tracks of others or emulate the prowess of their models. So a prudent man should always follow in the footsteps of great men and imitate those who have been outstanding.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Men, Track, Imitating Others
"Memorable Quotations: Philosophers of Western Civilization". Book by Carol Dingle, p. 144, July 26, 2000.

You must never believe that the enemy does not know how to conduct his own affairs. Indeed, if you want to be deceived less and want to bear less danger, the more the enemy is weak or the less the enemy is cautious, so much more must you esteem him.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Believe

There are three kinds of brains: One understands of itself, another can be taught to understand, and the third can neither understand to itself or be taught to understand.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Understanding, Brain, Three

Human beings remain constant in their methods of conduct.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Method, Constant, Humans

Is it better to be loved or feared?

Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli, Sir Thomas More, Sir (2010). “Machiavelli, More & Luther”, p.56, Cosimo, Inc.

Violence must be inflicted once for all; people will then forget what it tastes like and so be less resentful. Benefits must be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, People

as the physicians say it happens in hectic fever, that in the beginning of the malady it is easy to cure but difficult to detect, but in the course of time, not having been either detected or treated in the beginning, it becomes easy to detect but difficult to cure

Niccolo Machiavelli
Physicians, Fever, Easy
Niccolo Machiavelli (2010). “The Prince”, p.9, FastPencil Inc

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