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
Topics: Insults, Prudence
Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Inheritance
Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Power, Performance
Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Judging, Judges, Judgment
Men are always averse to enterprises in which they foresee difficulties.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Ignorance
Injuries should be done all together, so that being, less tasted, they will give less offense. Benefits should be granted little by little, so that they may be better enjoyed.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Opportunities
Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Hate, Hatred
It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Fortune
Whoever takes it upon himself to establish a commonwealth and prescribe laws must presuppose all men naturally bad, and that they will yield to their innate evil passions as often as they can do so with safety.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Evil
In respect to foresight and firmness, the people are more prudent, more stable, and have better judgement than princes.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Man
Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Decisions
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: One liners, Leadership, Wishes
There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: War
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.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Leaders, Leadership, Change
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Intelligence
Men are more ready to offend one who desires to be beloved than one who wishes to be feared.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Vengeance
The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Virtue, Goodness, Virtues
All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it’s possible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Acting, Anger, Strength, Mistake, Act, Action, Risk
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.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Idealism, Ideals
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Goals
In our own days we have seen no princes accomplish great results save those who have been accounted miserly.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Humankind, Humanity
It is not titles that reflect honor on men, but men on their titles.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Titles
In truth, there never was any remarkable lawgiver amongst any people who did not resort to divine authority, as otherwise his laws would not have been accepted by the people; for there are many good laws, the importance of which is known to be..
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Authority
From this we learn that a wise prince sees to it that never, in order to attack someone, does he become the ally of a prince more powerful than himself, except when necessity forces him, as I said above. If you win, you are the powerful kings prisoner, and wise princes avoid as much as they can being in other mens power.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Will, Motivation, Will Power, Willpower
A prince must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him, and must protect himself from those that will not lose it for him, if this is possible; but if he cannot, he need not concern himself unduly if he ignores these less serious vices.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Vice, Virtue
The principal foundation of all states is in good laws and good arms.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Government
Wondering Whom to Read Next?
- Leon Battista Alberti Italian Architect
- Henry Kissinger American Diplomat
- Pietro Aretino Italian Author
- Thomas Hobbes English Political Philosopher
- Thomas Aquinas Italian Catholic Priest
- Giacomo Leopardi Italian Poet
- John Stuart Mill English Philosopher, Economist
- Jeremy Bentham British Philosopher, Economist
- Baruch Spinoza Dutch Philosopher
- Michel de Montaigne French Essayist
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