Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes About Art

Quotes about: Art

• A prince... must learn from the fox and the lion... One must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves. Those who act simply as lions are stupid. So it follows that a prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honour his word when it places him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made his promise no longer exist.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Stupid

• 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

• In the armies and among every ten men there is one of more life, of more heart, or at least of more authority, who with his courage, with words and by example keeps the others firm and disposed to fight.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Fighting

  "The Complete Art of War".

• 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

• There is simply no comparison between a man who is armed and one who is not. It is simply unreasonable to expect that an armed man should obey one who is unarmed, or that an unarmed man should remain safe and secure when his servants are armed.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Men

• The reason is that nature has so created men that they are able to desire everything but are not able to attain everything: so that the desire being always greater than the acquisition, there results discontent with the possession and little satisfaction to themselves from it. From this arises the changes in their fortunes; for as men desire, some to have more, some in fear of losing their acquisition, there ensues enmity and war, from which results the ruin of that province and the elevation of another.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Men

  "Discourses on Livy". Book by Niccolo Machiavelli, Book 1, Ch. 37, (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick, 1517.

• A prudent man... must behave like those archers who, if they are skillful, 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.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Archer

• You must know, then, that there are two methods of fighting, the one by law, the other by force: the first method is that of men, the second of beasts; but as the first method is often insufficient, one must have recourse to the second.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Fighting

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

• There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Believe

• I assert once again as a truth to which history as a whole bears witness that men may second their fortune, but cannot oppose it; that they may weave its warp, but cannot break it. Yet they should never give up, because there is always hope, though they know not the end and more towards it along roads which cross one another and as yet are unexplored; and since there is hope, they should not despair, no matter what fortune brings or in what travail they find themselves.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, Giving Up, War

  "Discourses on Livy" by Niccolò Machiavelli, book 2, ch. 29, as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick, 1517.

• How laudable it is for a prince to keep good faith and live with integrity, and not with astuteness, every one knows. Still the experience of our times shows those princes to have done great things who have had little regard for good faith, and have been able by astuteness to confuse men's brains, and who have ultimately overcome those who have made loyalty their foundation.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Loyalty, Art, Integrity

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

• Nevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant. From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Believe

  "The Prince". Book by Niccolò Machiavelli, ch. 17, as translated by Luigi Ricci (1903), 1513.

• And when he is obliged to take the life of any one, to do so when there is a proper justification and manifest reason for it; but above all he must abstain from taking the property of others, for men forget more easily the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, Father, War

  Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.53, Race Point Publishing

• A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from snares, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Wish

  "The Prince". Book by Niccolò Machiavelli, ch. 17, 1513.

• 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.

• Those who either from imprudence or want of sagacity avoid doing so, are always overwhelmed with servitude and poverty; for faithful servants are always servants, and honest men are always poor; nor do any ever escape from servitude but the bold and faithless, or from poverty, but the rapacious and fraudulent.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Men

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

• 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

• 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.

• I say that every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel. He must, however, take care not to misuse this mercifulness.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Desire

  Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.52, Knickerbocker Classics

• 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

• 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.

• In the same manner, having been reduced by disorder, and sunk to their utmost state of depression, unable to descend lower, they, of necessity, reascend; and thus from good they gradually decline to evil, and from evil again return to good. The reason is, that valor produces peace; peace, repose; repose, disorder; disorder, ruin; so from disorder order springs; from order virtue, and from this, glory and good fortune.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, Spring, War

  "Florentine Histories" by Niccolò Machiavelli, book V, chapter 1, 1526.

• The people resemble a wild beast, which, naturally fierce and accustomed to live in the woods, has been brought up, as it were, in a prison and in servitude, and having by accident got its liberty, not being accustomed to search for its food, and not knowing where to conceal itself, easily becomes the prey of the first who seeks to incarcerate it again.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Knowing

  "Discourses on Livy" by Niccolò Machiavelli, book 1, ch. 16, 1517.

• A prince ought to have two fears, one from within, on account of his subjects, the other from without, on account of external powers.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Two

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

• 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.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Art, War, Men

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

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