Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (1469–1527) was a Florentine statesman, political philosopher, and dramatist.
Machiavelli was born in Florence to an aristocratic family. Not much is known of the first half of his life. After holding high office in Florence as an administrator for diplomacy and warfare, and later as an ambassador, he was exiled by the Medicis on suspicion of conspiracy.
Machiavelli is best known for his Il Principe (The Prince, 1532) a manual on obtaining and holding onto power. The Prince advises leaders that, in a harsh political world, the acquisition and the effective use of power may sometimes require unethical and deceitful methods that are not in and of themselves desirable.
Machiavelli is considered the originator of the philosophy of political pragmatism wherein “the ends justify the means” and morality is irrelevant. His writings and career are subject to varied interpretations. The term Machiavellian—used to describe cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous political behavior—arose from a misunderstanding that he advocated evil for its own sake.
Machiavelli’s other principal political and historical works include Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Livio (A Commentary on the First Ten Books of Livy, c.1516–19,) Dell’arte Della Guerra (On the Art of War, 1519–20,) and Istorie Fiorentine (A History of Florence, c.1520–25.) He also wrote the Italian Renaissance comedy Mandragola (The Mandrake Root, c.1518,) and a novella, a few satirical poems, and an impressive collection of letters.
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Because just as good morals, if they are to be maintained, have need of the laws, so the laws, if they are to be observed, have need of good morals.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
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
Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Inheritance
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: Risk, Mistake, Acting, Act, Anger, Strength, Action
For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearance, as though they were realities and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Appearance, Reality
It is better to be bold than too circumspect, because fortune is of a sex which likes not a tardy wooer and repulses all who are not ardent.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Boldness
A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one’s own ignorance.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Intelligence
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, Virtues, Goodness
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Danger
A wise man will see to it that his acts always seem voluntary and not done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Wisdom
It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Humility, Society, Honor
When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Happiness, Honor
It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Perception
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Will Power, Motivation, Willpower, Will
We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Fortune
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Goals
Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Judges, Judgment, Justice, Judging, Appearance
Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Humanity, Humankind
Decide which is the line of conduct that presents the fewest drawbacks and then follow it out as being the best one, because one never finds anything perfectly pure and unmixed, or exempt from danger.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Decisions, Risk, Danger
It is not titles that reflect honor on men, but men on their titles.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Titles
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
Topics: War
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
There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: War
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Wishes, Leadership, One liners
The wish to acquire more is admittedly a very natural and common thing; and when men succeed in this they are always praised rather than condemned. But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Greed
If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Vengeance
There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others. This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Virtues, Intelligence
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
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
One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others.
—Niccolo Machiavelli
Topics: Change, Moving on
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