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Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes - Page 8

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A wise man will see to it that his acts always seem voluntary and not done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity.

A wise man will see to it that his acts always seem voluntary and not done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Wise, Wisdom, Men

War is a profession by which a man cannot live honorably; an employment by which the soldier, if he would reap any profit, is obliged to be false, rapacious, and cruel.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Peace, War, Men

Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Revenge, Men, Hustle

Hence it happened that all the armed prophets conquered, all the unarmed perished. [It., Di qui nacque che tutti li profeti armati vincero, e li disarmati rovinarono.]

Niccolo Machiavelli
War, Prophet, Unarmed

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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Wise, Mean, Government
Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.33, Race Point Publishing

Conquered states that have been accustomed to liberty and the government of their own laws can be held by the conqueror in three different ways. The first is to ruin them; the second, for the conqueror to go and reside there in person; and the third is to allow them to continue to live under their own laws, subject to a regular tribute, and to create in them a government of a few, who will keep the country friendly to the conqueror

Niccolo Machiavelli
Country, War, Government

Thus it is well to seem merciful, faithful, humane, sincere, religious, and also to be so; but you must have the mind so disposed that when it is needful to be otherwise you may be able to change to the opposite qualities.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Religious, Character, Opposites
Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.56, Knickerbocker Classics

For, besides what has been said, it should be borne in mind that the temper of the multitude is fickle, and that while it is easy to persuade them of a thing, it is hard to fix them in that persuasion

Niccolo Machiavelli
Mind, Fickle, Persuasion
Niccolo Machiavelli (2015). “The Prince”, p.21, Booklassic

Where the very safety of the country depends upon the resolution to be taken, no consideration of justice or injustice, humanity or cruelty, nor of glory or of shame, should be allowed to prevail. But putting all other considerations aside, the only question should be: What course will save the life and liberty of the country?

Niccolo Machiavelli
Country, Peace, Freedom

And above all you ought to guard against leading an army to fight which is afraid or which is not confident of victory. For the greatest sign of an impending loss is when one does not believe one can win.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Believe

Speaking generally, men are ungrateful, fickle, hypocritical, fearful odanger and covetous ogain.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Men, Ungrateful, Fickle

Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Knowing, Evil, Trouble

One man should not be afraid of improving his posessions, lest they be taken away from him, or another deterred by high taxes from starting a new business. Rather, the Prince should be ready to reward men who want to do these things and those who endeavour in any way to increase the prosperity of their city or their state.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Taken, Men, Cities

If the chief party, whether it be the people, or the army, or the nobility, which you think most useful and of most consequence to you for the conservation of your dignity, be corrupt, you must follow their humor and indulge them, and in that case honesty and virtue are pernicious.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Honesty, Party, Army

Republics have a longer life and enjoy better fortune than principalities, because they can profit by their greater internal diversity. They are the better able to meet emergencies.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Diversity, Democracy, Republic

The Romans never allowed a trouble spot to remain simply to avoid going to war over it, because they knew that wars don't just go away, they are only postponed to someone else's advantage. Therefore, they made war with Philip and Antiochus in Greece, in order not to have to fight them in Italy... They never went by that saying which you constantly hear from the wiseacres of our day, that time heals all things. They trusted rather their own character and prudence- knowing perfectly well that time contains the seeds of all things, good as well as bad.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Character
"The Prince". Book by Niccolò Machiavelli, ch. 3, 1513.

It makes him contemptible to be considered fickle, frivolous, effeminate, mean-spirited, irresolute, from all of which a prince should guard himself as from a rock; and he should endeavour to show in his actions greatness, courage, gravity, and fortitude; and in his private dealings with his subjects let him show that his judgments are irrevocable, and maintain himself in such reputation that no one can hope either to deceive him or to get round him.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Art, War, Mean
Niccolo Machiavelli (2015). “The Prince”, p.80, Xist Publishing

Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Men, Numbers, Trying

Delusion gives you more happiness than truth gives to me. For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Giving, Done, Benefits

Anyone who becomes master of a city accustomed to freedom and does not destroy it may expect to be destroyed by it; for such a city may always justify rebellion in the name of liberty and its ancient institutions.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Cities, Names, Liberty

War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.

Niccolo Machiavelli
War, Philosophical, Arms

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.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Leadership, Party, Passion

A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Wise, Philosophical, Reality

In truth, there never was any remarkable lawgiver amongst any people who did not resort to divine authority, as otherwise his laws would not have been accepted by the people; for there are many good laws, the importance of which is known to be the sagacious lawgiver, but the reasons for which are not sufficiently evident to enable him to persuade others to submit to them; and therefore do wise men, for the purpose of removing this difficulty, resort to divine authority.

Niccolo Machiavelli
Wise, Men, Law

A prince need trouble little about conspiracies when the people are well disposed, but when they are hostile and hold him in hatred, then he must fear everything and everybody.

Niccolo Machiavelli
People, Hatred, Needs
Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.60, Race Point Publishing

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