Niccolo Machiavelli quotes:

A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.

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.

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.

Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.

It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope.

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.

There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.

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.

Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.

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.

A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.

A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.

It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.

God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.

Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.

One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.

Never was anything great achieved without danger.

The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow.

The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love.

He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.

The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not.

Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.

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.

War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.

It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.

The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.

I believe that it is possible for one to praise, without concern, any man after he is dead since every reason and supervision for adulation is lacking.

Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.

The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms.

Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

A prudent man... must behave like those archers who, if they are skillful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can reach the target.

There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt.

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.

it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.

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.

Thus it happens in matters of state; for knowing afar off (which it is only given a prudent man to do) the evils that are brewing, they are easily cured. But when, for want of such knowledge, they are allowed to grow so that everyone can recognize them, there is no longer any remedy to be found.

The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.

He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation.

Men are of three different capacities: one understands intuitively; another understands so far as it is explained; and a third understands neither of himself nor by explanation. The first is excellent, the second, commendable, and the third, altogether useless.

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.

You do not know the unfathomable cowardice of humanity...servile in the face of force, pitiless in the face of weakness, implacable before blunders, indulgent before crimes...and patient to the point of martyrdom before all the violences of bold despotism.

When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred.

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.

Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.

It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.

The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.

Nevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant. From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved.

One can say this in general of men: they are ungrateful, disloyal, insincere and deceitful, timid of danger and avid of profit...Love is a bond of obligation that these miserable creatures break whenever it suits them to do so; but fear holds them fast by a dread of punishment that never passes.

the ends justifies the means

No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.

One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others.

Men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared because love is held together by a chain of obligation which, since men are wretched creatures, is broken on every occasion in which their own interests are concerned; but fear is sustained by dread of punishment which will never abandon you.

Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better.

Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.

The best fortress which a prince can possess is the affection of his people.

Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations.

One should never allow chaos to develop in order to avoid going to war, because one does not avoid a war but instead puts it off to his disadvantage

Few men are brave by nature, but good discipline and experience make many so.

For as laws are necessary that good manners may be preserved, so there is need of good manner that laws may be maintained. [It., Perche, cosi come i buoni costumi, per mantenersi, hanno bisogno delli leggi; cosi le leggi per ossevarsi, hanno bisogno de' buoni costumi.]

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.

Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil.

The Swiss are well armed and enjoy great freedom.

Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.

When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content.

The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.

If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.

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.

You know better than I that in a Republic talent is always suspect. A man attains an elevated position only when his mediocrity prevents him from being a threat to others. And for this reason a democracy is never governed by the most competent, but rather by those whose insignificance will not jeopardize anyone else's self-esteem.

There should be many judges, for few will always do the will of few.

When you disarm your subjects, however, you offend them by showing that either from cowardliness or lack of faith, you distrust them; and either conclusion will induce them to hate you.

Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.

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.

From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both: but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.

Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are, and those few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them.

I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.

Severities should be dealt out all at once, so that their suddenness may give less offense; benefits ought to be handed ought drop by drop, so that they may be relished the more.

Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony

And when he is obliged to take the life of any one, to do so when there is a proper justification and manifest reason for it; but above all he must abstain from taking the property of others, for men forget more easily the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.

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

He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss.

It follows that acceleration in the rate of change will result in an increasing need for reorganization. Reorganization is usually feared, because it means disturbance of the status quo, a potential threat to peoples vested interests in their jobs, and an upset to established ways of doing things. For these reasons, needed reorganization is often deferred. With a resulting loss in effectiveness and increase in costs.

Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage

I shall always esteem it not much to live in a city where the laws do less than men, because that fatherland is desirable where possessions and friends can be securely enjoyed, not where they can be easily taken from you, and friends for few of thems

For when you are on the spot, disorders are detected in their beginnings and remedies can be readily applied; but when you are at a distance, they are not heard of until they have gathered strength and the case is past cure.

And let it here be noted that men are either to be kindly treated, or utterly crushed, since they can revenge lighter injuries, but not graver. Wherefore the injury we do to a man should be of a sort to leave no fear of reprisals.

Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas in antiquity.

Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.

A prince need take little account of conspiracies if the people are disposed in his favor.

When fortune wishes to bring mighty events to a successful conclusion, she selects some man of spirit and ability who knows how to seize the opportunity she offers.

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.

Laa shay'a waqi'un moutlaq bale kouloun moumkine...We work in the Dark, to serve the Light.

A prince who is not himself wise cannot be wisely advised. . . . Good advice depends on the shrewdness of the prince who seeks it, and not the shrewdness of the prince on good advice.

Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves

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.

One man should not be afraid of improving his posessions, lest they be taken away from him, or another deterred by high taxes from starting a new business. Rather, the Prince should be ready to reward men who want to do these things and those who endeavour in any way to increase the prosperity of their city or their state.

Minds are of three kinds: one is capable of thinking for itself; another is able to understand the thinking of others; and a third can neither think for itself nor understand the thinking of others. The first is of the highest excellence, the second is excellent, and the third is worthless.

It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.

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.

One must be a fox to recognize traps and a lion to frighten wolves

Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.

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.

Men are so simple and yield so readily to the desires of the moment that he who will trick will always find another who will suffer to be tricked.

Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.

We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.

A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.

Politics have no relation to morals.

Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.

For among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible; which is one of those disgraceful things which a prince must guard against.

(A ruler) cannot and should not keep his word when to do so would go against his interests or when the reason he pledged it no longer holds.

....for friendships that are acquired by a price and not by greatness and nobility of character are purchased but are not owned, and at the proper moment they cannot be spent.

....it cannot be called ingenuity to kill one's fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; by these means one can aquire power but not glory.

....nothing is so unhealthy or unstable as the reputation for power that is not based on one's own power.

....those who become princes through their skill acquire the pricipality with difficulty, buy they hold onto it with ease.

...it behooves us to adapt oneself to the times if one wants to enjoy continued good fortune.

...it is a base thing to look to others for your defense instead of depending upon yourself. That defense alone is effectual, sure, and durable which depends upon yourself and your own valor.

...people are by nature fickle, and it is easy to persuade them of something, but difficult to keep them persuaded.

...the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.