56 Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes That Will Sharpen Your Wits
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (born 3 May 1469, Florence, Italy – died 21 June 1527, Florence, Italy) was an Italian Renaissance historian, diplomat, philosopher, politician, humanist, and writer. His two most famous philosophical books, The Prince and the Discourses on Livy, were published after his death. He has often been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science.
16 Inspirational Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes About Life
The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not to suffer.Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.It is better to act and repent than not to act and regret.Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.Never was anything great achieved without danger.Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.How we live is so different from how we ought to live that he who studies what ought to be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation.One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others.Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.
People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.
Niccolò Machiavelli
8 Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes on Power
I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
Rome remained free for four hundred years and Sparta eight hundred, although their citizens were armed all that time; but many other states that have been disarmed have lost their liberties in less than forty years.
Niccolò Machiavelli
Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong.He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.It is just as difficult and dangerous to try to free a people that wants to remain servile as it is to enslave a people that wants to remain free.To understand the nature of the people one must be a prince, and to understand the nature of the prince, one must be of the people.Politics have no relation to morals.Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.
8 Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes on War
War should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.Never do an enemy a small injury.Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.You ought never to suffer your designs to be crossed in order to avoid war, since war is not so to be avoided, but is only deferred to your disadvantage.
4 Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes About Deceive
One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.Men are so simple of mind, and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.
3 Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes on Religion and God
Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.There is nothing more important than appearing to be religious.
17 Wise Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes to Inspire Smarter Thinking
The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
One of the great secrets of the day is to know how to take possession of popular prejudices and passions, in such a way as to introduce a confusion of principles which makes impossible all understanding between those who speak the same language and have the same interests.
Niccolò Machiavelli
It is a common fault not to anticipate storms when the sea is calm.The vulgar crowd always is taken by appearances, and the world consists chiefly of the vulgar.It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.A government which does not trust its citizens to be armed is not itself to be trusted.
Women are the most charitable creatures, and the most troublesome. He who shuns women passes up the trouble, but also the benefits. He who puts up with them gains the benefits, but also the trouble. As the saying goes, there’s no honey without bees.
Niccolò Machiavelli
Alexander never did what he said, Cesare never said what he did.Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy.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.Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.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.A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one’s own ignorance.A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless.
