Famous Niccolo Machiavelli Quotations

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"A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things."
by Niccolo Machiavelli The Prince 1532
"It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved."
by Niccolò Machiavelli
"...people are by nature fickle, and it is easy to persuade them of something, but difficult to keep them persuaded."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"...it is a base thing to look to others for your defense instead of depending upon yourself. That defense alone is effectual, sure, and durable which depends upon yourself and your own valor."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"A prince should therefore have no other aim or thought, nor take up any other thing for his study but war and it organization and discipline, for that is the only art that is necessary to one who commands."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"A son could bear complacently the death of his father while the loss of his inheritance might drive him to despair"
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"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."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"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."
by Niccolò Machiavelli
"For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearance, as though they were realities and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are"
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"God creates men, but they choose each other."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Hatred may be engendered by good deeds as well as bad ones."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"He who has not first laid his foundations may be able with great ability to lay them afterwards, but they will be laid with trouble to the architect and danger to the building."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"I shall always esteem it not much to live in a city where the laws do less than men, because that fatherland is desirable where possessions and friends can be securely enjoyed, not where they can be easily taken from you, and friends for few of thems"
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared"
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Is necessary to take such measures that, when they believe no longer, it may be possible to make them believe by force."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"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. If his own prowess fails to compare with theirs, at least it has an air of greatness about it. He should behave like those archers who, if they are skilful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can reach the target."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men are so simple and yield so readily to the desires of the moment that he who will trick will always find another who will suffer to be tricked."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot"
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Nothing feeds upon itself as liberality does."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"One must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Put not your trust in princes, bureaucrats or generals, they will plead expedience while spilling your blood from a safe distance."
by Niccolò Machiavelli
"Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"The injury to a man, must be such, that we need not fear his Vengeance."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, and the third is useless."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There are three classes of intellects one which comprehends by itself another which appreciates what others comprehend and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others the first is the most excellent, the second is good, and the third is useless."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantages of others."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There is no other way of guarding oneself against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth; but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There is no other way of guarding oneself against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order to things."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"To be feared is much safer then to be loved."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"War connot be avoided; it can only be postponed to the others advantage."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"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."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean; the rest have failed."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the marjority of men live content."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times."
by 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."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Let a prince therefore act to seize and to maintain the state; his methods will always be judged honorable and will be praised by all; for ordinary people are always deceived by appearances and by the outcome of a thing; and in the world there is nothing but ordinary people...."
by Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, 1512
"Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain."
by Niccolo 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."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"There are three kinds of intelligence; one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others. This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men in general judge more by the sense of sight than by the sense of touch, because everyone can see, but only a few can test by feeling. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are, and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"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."
by 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."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"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."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"It should be noted that when he seizes a state the new ruler ought to determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He should inflict them once and for all, and not have to renew them every day."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"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."
by Niccolo Machiavelli
"Keep your friends close, but your enemies even closer."
by Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince


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