Famous Quotes by Niccolò Machiavelli

  • A prince must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that... More
  • The wish to acquire more is admittedly a very natural and common thing; and when men succeed in... More
  • Men nearly always follow the tracks made by others and proceed in their affairs by imitation,... More
  • There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others. More
  • The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among... More
  • A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise. More
  • Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better. More
  • Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one... More
  • Many have dreamed up republics and principalities that have never in truth been known to exist;... More
  • States that rise quickly, just as all the other things of nature that are born and grow rapidly,... More
  • The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good... More
  • For among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible; which is one of... More
  • Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony. More
  • There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other... More
  • It should be noted that when he seizes a state the new ruler ought to determine all the injuries... More

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