Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes - Page 8

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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

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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

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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

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Tardiness often robs us opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Philosophical, Opportunity, Literature

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In order not to annul our free will, I judge it true that Fortune may be mistress of one half our actions but then even she leaves the other half, or almost, under our control.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Order, Judging, Mistress

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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

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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

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A prince is also respected when he is a true friend and a true enemy; that is, when he declares himself on the side of one prince against another without any reservation.

Niccolo Machiavelli

True Friend, Enemy

"The Portable Machiavelli".

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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

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Whoever is the cause of another becoming powerful, is ruined himself; for that power is produced by him either through craft or force; and both of these are suspected by the one who has been raised to power.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Powerful, Crafts, Causes

Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.12, Knickerbocker Classics

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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

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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

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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

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

Niccolo Machiavelli

Men, Ungrateful, Fickle

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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

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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.

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Men in general judge more by the sense of sight than by the sense of touch, because everyone can see but 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.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Men, Sight, Judging

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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

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Although deceit is detestable in all other things, yet in the conduct of war it is laudable and honorable; and a commander who vanquishes an enemy by stratagem is equally praised with one who gains victory by force.

Niccolo Machiavelli

War, Enemy, Victory

Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.216, Knickerbocker Classics

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Forgiveness proceeds from a generous soul.

Niccolo Machiavelli

Inspirational, Soul, Generous

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

Niccolo Machiavelli

Knowing, Evil, Trouble

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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

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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

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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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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

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Born: May 3, 1469
Died: June 21, 1527
Occupation: Historian
Cite this Page: Citation

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