Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.
Nevertheless, that our freewill may not be altogether extinguished, I think it may be true that fortune is the ruler of half our actions, but that she allows the other half or a little less to be gove...
Fear is secured by a dread of punishment.
Men hesitate less to injure a man who makes himself loved than to injure one who makes himself feared for their love is held by a chain of obligation which because of men's wickedness is broken on...
Thus it is well to seem merciful faithful humane religious and upright and also to be so but the mind should remain so balanced that were it needful not to be so you should be able and know how to cha...
It is far better to earn the confidence of the people than to rely on fortresses.
For on Cardinal Rohan saying to me that the Italians did not understand war, I replied that the French did not understand politics.
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.
One never finds anything perfectly pure and ... exempt from danger.
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 th...
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.
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...
ما يمكن التنبؤ بة يمكن علاجة بسهولة، أما اذا انتظرنا الئ ان تداهمنا المخاطر، فسيصبح العلاج متأخراً عن موعده وتستصعي العلة
The memory of their former freedom will not let them rest; so that the safest course is either to destroy them, or to go and live in them.
It is truly natural and ordinary thing to desire gain; and when those who can succeed attempt it, they will always be praised and not blamed. But if they cannot succeed, yet try anyway, they are guilt...
For Time, driving all things before it, may bring with it evil as well as good.
Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are; and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion.
CHAPTER XXVI.—A new Prince in a City or Province of which he has taken Possession, ought to make Everything new. Whosoever becomes prince of a city or State, more especially if his position be so inse...
Men are always averse to enterprises in which they foresee difficulties.