Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes About Desire

Quotes about: Desire

• Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Change, Success, Philosophical

• I desire to go to Hell and not to Heaven. In the former I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks and apostles

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Death, Kings, Heaven

• 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.

• 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.

• 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

• I consider it a mark of great prudence in a man to abstain from threats or any contemptuous expressions, for neither of these weaken the enemy, but threats make him more cautious, and the other excites his hatred, and a desire to revenge himself.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Revenge, Men, Expression

• He who desires or attempts to reform the government of a state and wishes to have it accepted, must at least retain the semblance of the old forms; so that it may seem to the people that there has been no change in the institutions, even though in fact they are entirely different from the old ones. For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Reality, Government, People

• If the present be compared with the remote past, it is easily seen that in all cities and in all peoples there are the same desires and the same passions as there always were.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Passion, Past, Cities

• Men are more ready to offend one who desires to be beloved than one who wishes to be feared.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Life, Men, Wish

• 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.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Simple, Men, Yield

• And truly it is a very natural and ordinary thing to desire to acquire, and always, when men do it who can, they will be praised or not blamed; but when they cannot, and wish to do it anyway, here lies the error and the blame.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  Lying, Men, Errors

• By the delusions of seeming good the people are often misled to desire their own ruin; and they are frequently influenced by great hopes and brave promises.

  Niccolo Machiavelli

  People, Brave, Promise

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