Men leap from one ambition to another; they first seek to protect themselves from offense, and then to oppress their rivals.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Nicolas Machiavel
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian diplomat, philosopher, politician, historian, and writer who has been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science.
The people, or the nobility, [...] showed all the more pride as their adversary showed more moderation.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[...] the ardor with which each party defended its liberty was the cause that one of them was always oppressed.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[...] men, in seeking to shield themselves from fear, immediately begin to make themselves feared.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The offense they ward off from themselves, they cast upon their adversaries, as if one must necessarily be either an oppressor or oppressed.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
One sees by this [...] how men only abandon the object of their ambition to pursue another.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Citizens who, in a republic, give themselves over to their ambition, first seek to shield themselves from the attacks not only of private individuals, but even of magistrates.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[The ambitious] use seemingly legitimate means [...]. These means, which have the appearance of virtue, easily deceive all eyes.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Having reached [...] this degree of elevation, the ambitious acquire such importance that they become feared by ordinary citizens and respected by magistrates.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Having reached this point without initial opposition to their power, [the ambitious] find themselves so strengthened that it becomes extremely dangerous even to try to shake them.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[...] one must either try to uproot an abuse, at the risk of sudden ruin, or let it grow, and bow under the yoke of inevitable servitude.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
When citizens and even magistrates tremble before one of their equals, [...] they are very close to rendering justice [...] according to his whims.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
One of the most important institutions of a State must be that which ensures that citizens, under the pretext of doing good, cannot do evil.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[One must ensure that citizens] enjoy only that credit which can be useful and not harmful to liberty.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It is imprudent to ally with a prince who has more reputation than real strength.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Alliances [...] with a prince who cannot help you [...] have more glamour than real utility.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The imprudence of men sometimes excites them to take up the defense of others, while they neither know how nor are able to protect themselves from danger.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[A people] is mistaken when it believes itself to be stronger than it actually is.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[He showed], by his conduct, and not by his words, what answer they deserved.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Certain friendships bring, to those who trust in them, more of a name than real protection (magis nomen quam praesidium).
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[Certain alliances] bring more the glamour of a great name than actual help.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[A prince] cannot help you, either because distance [...] does not allow it, or because the disorders in his own states require the use of all his forces.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Imprudence [...] excites one to defend others, while one neither knows how nor is able to protect oneself from danger.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The consul could not help but laugh at this proposition; and [...] he gave the signal for battle, showing the answer by his conduct, and not by his words.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Our circle [...] resembles a lost thing: poor frightened birds, the same dovecote no longer gathers us.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Delirium seems to have seized all the principal members.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
[He] has become strange, whimsical, tedious, and so miserly, that he will seem another man to you.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
[He] found he had made too great an expense; and, wishing to share it with someone, he began to beg for a dinner guest.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
[He] remained [...] dazed like a fish out of water.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
As for me, if I sometimes laugh, if I sometimes sing, it is because I have only this way to give vent to my sorrows and my tears.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
It is [...] difficult to think that I cannot succeed, if my affair is conducted with some skill.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I succeed in being employed, [...] in which case I should be less suspect.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I will come to find you, if you see no danger for me.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I am firmly convinced that if people once begin to make use of me, [...] I will be able to bring honor and be useful to all those who are friends to me.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I write this to you, not that this matter is very close to my heart, nor that I wish you to put yourself to any trouble or expense for me.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
If it is in your power to serve me, you should know that my only happiness is to owe you everything.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I am indebted for the little I was able to save from the shipwreck.
1513-1527
Source: Familiar Letters (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Weak republics are irresolute and do not know how to make a decision; [...] it is more to necessity than to their own choice that it must be attributed.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[The Senate] never blushed to make a resolution contrary to its usual way of acting [...] when necessity commanded it.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[The Senate] always made a sound judgment of things; it always regarded the least disastrous course of action as the best.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Convinced that necessity would force [...] these peoples to arm themselves, [the Senate] took the most honorable course, and willed that what they had to do be authorized by it.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
...for fear that having disobeyed once out of necessity, [the people] would then become accustomed to disobeying out of whim.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Weak or ill-advised states never know how to resolve themselves, nor how to take credit for what necessity dictates.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It would have been far more honorable [...] to appear to have granted passage, than to have it taken by force.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The greatest vice of all weak republics is irresolution, so that every decision they make is dictated to them by force.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
If any good comes of it [for weak republics], it is to necessity and not to their wisdom that they must give thanks.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Republics whose wills are uncertain never know how to make a good decision except when necessity obliges them to.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[Their] weakness prevents them from making a decision as soon as there is the slightest doubt.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
If this doubt were not overcome by a violence that drives them, [weak republics] would float in eternal uncertainty.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[...] half-measures that have never gained a friend nor lost an enemy, [...] have always been dangerous in matters of state.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Wherever it is necessary to deliberate on a course of action on which the very salvation of the State depends, one must not be restrained by any consideration of justice or injustice, humanity or cruelty, glory or ignominy.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The fatherland is always well defended, in whatever way it is defended, whether by glory or by shame.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
There can be no ignominy in not observing promises imposed by force.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
To know what is to happen, it is enough to consider what has been, because all the events of this world, in all times, have analogous relationships with those that have already passed.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
All human affairs being handled by men who have and always will have the same passions, they must necessarily yield the same results.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
One often obtains by violence and audacity what one would never obtain by ordinary means.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
A people accustomed to living under a prince, and who becomes free by accident, maintains only with difficulty the liberty it has conquered.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Men rarely know how to be either entirely good or entirely bad.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Weak republics are irresolute and do not know how to make a decision; or if they do adopt one, it must be attributed to necessity rather than to their choice.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Men throw themselves from one ambition to another; they seek first to protect themselves from offenses, and then to oppress their rivals.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Often the people desire their own ruin, deceived by a false appearance; and nothing is easier than to sway them with vast hopes and dazzling promises.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The multitude is wiser and more constant than a prince.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It must be enough for wise princes and governments to obtain victory; those who wish to go beyond it usually find their ruin there.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
For a religion and a State to have a long existence, they must often be brought back to their founding principles.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The people, when it comes to choosing a citizen [...], consult public opinion and renown.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The surest indication one can have of a man's character is to know the people he frequents.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
One gains public esteem through some extraordinary and brilliant action [...] the outcome of which covers you with glory and honor.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[Reputation] that depends on ancestors is so deceptive [...] that it soon vanishes when personal virtue does not accompany it.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[A] reputation rests simply on the opinion of others, which is extremely easy to erase.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
A reputation founded on your great deeds gives you from the outset such renown that it must be contradicted by many contrary actions before it can be destroyed.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Those who are born in a republic must [...] seek to distinguish themselves first by some brilliant deed.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Not only is [a brilliant deed] necessary to begin to gain credit, it is indispensable to preserve and increase it.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
To succeed [...], one must renew one's brilliant deeds.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The great Scipio acquired less glory from his triumphs than when, still young, he defended his father on the banks of the Ticinus [...].
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Nothing is better suited to win esteem than extraordinary actions or words [...] aimed at the happiness of the people.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The people, regarding false opinions and corruption, are much less subject to error than princes.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It can happen that the people are deceived, seduced by renown [...] or by actions that appear greater to them than they really are.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It would be [...] glorious for any citizen to publicly expose a candidate's flaws, so that the people [...] could form a sounder judgment.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Any citizen who, from the outset, wishes to obtain the favor of the people must [...] earn it through some brilliant action.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
I consider those capable of defending themselves who have enough men and money [...] to give battle to anyone who comes to attack them.
1513
Source: The Prince
I consider as always in need of the help of others those who [...] are obliged to take refuge within their walls and defend themselves there.
1513
Source: The Prince
[One must] exhort [princes] to furnish and fortify the city where their seat of power is established, and to take no account of the rest of the country.
1513
Source: The Prince
One will only attack him with great circumspection; for men, in general, do not like enterprises that present great difficulties.
1513
Source: The Prince
A prince whose city is well fortified, and who does not make himself hated by his subjects, need not fear being attacked.
1513
Source: The Prince
If [a prince] were ever attacked, the assailant would retreat in shame: for the things of this world are variable.
1513
Source: The Prince
It is hardly possible for an enemy to remain encamped with his troops around a place for a whole year.
1513
Source: The Prince
A powerful and courageous prince will always know how to overcome these difficulties, either by making his subjects hope that the evil will not be long-lasting [...].
1513
Source: The Prince
[A prince will know how to overcome difficulties] by making them fear the enemy's cruelty, or by prudently securing himself against those he deems too bold.
1513
Source: The Prince
When spirits have begun to cool, it will be found that the damage has already been done and suffered, and that there is no longer any remedy.
1513
Source: The Prince
The inhabitants will only become more attached to their prince, by the thought that he is indebted to them because their houses were burned [...] for his defense.
1513
Source: The Prince
Such is, in fact, the nature of men, that they become as attached by the services they render as by those they receive.
1513
Source: The Prince
It should not be difficult for a prudent prince [...] to inspire firmness in the inhabitants, and to maintain them in this disposition as long as they do not lack the means to feed and defend themselves.
1513
Source: The Prince
The causes of war between states of equal power are the product of chance, or arise from the desire of one of them to see war break out.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
A power may believe itself forced to undertake a war that it could no longer avoid without dishonor.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
If one abandons one's protégés in one circumstance, one discourages all those who might later wish to place themselves under one's aegis.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
A power aspiring only to empire and glory, and not to rest, cannot refuse such an enterprise.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
This is how princes who wish to stir up new wars act, while wanting to appear to honor their commitments.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
If you want to wage war on a prince to whom you are bound by treaties, you will use an attack on one of his friends as a pretext.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
If a prince remains indifferent [to an attack on an ally], he will reveal his weakness or his bad faith by not defending the one who has placed himself under his protection.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Not defending a protégé, by weakening a prince's reputation, facilitates the designs of his rivals.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The only remedy left for a city that its own forces cannot defend [...] is to give itself freely to the one it has chosen as its defender.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
[A power] sees nothing unjust in defending [a people] as a subject, where it would not defend them as an ally.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
An aggressor may attack a rival's ally, hoping only to irritate his patience in order to get an opportunity to fight him.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
A protector may refuse to help [a people] as an ally, but will soon defend them as a subject.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It would take several volumes to reproduce the main points of the controversy sparked by a famous book.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The public will look for [the author] in an edition, not his commentators.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
It is useful to offer some guidance [...] to those who would like to follow in detail the long and lively controversy to which a famous book has given rise.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Discourse on the means of governing well and maintaining in good peace a kingdom or other principality [...].
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The influence of a doctrine on the opinions, morals, and politics [...] during a revolution.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Machiavelli commented on by Napoleon Bonaparte, a manuscript found in Bonaparte's carriage after the Battle of Waterloo.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
[An author]: his genius and his errors.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
[A past thinker as] a judge of the revolutions of our time.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The Prince, translated into every language, was even translated into Turkish by order of a sultan, to be used for his instruction and that of his son.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
This translation is still preserved today in the library of the seraglio.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Most of the souls of the unfortunate mortals [...] complained [...] that they were condemned to this eternal misfortune only for having taken a wife.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
The greatest proof of wisdom that those with absolute power can show is to submit to the laws and to rely on the counsel of others.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
[It was agreed...] that he would be exposed to all the inconveniences, and to all the evils to which men are subject.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
He delighted in the honors and pomps of the world, and valued the praise of men, which threw him into great prodigality.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
With her nobility and beauty, [she] had brought [...] a pride so immeasurable that Lucifer himself never had its equal.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Believing herself to be his absolute mistress, she gave him her orders without consideration or pity; and if he refused her anything, she did not hesitate to overwhelm him with reproaches.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
He would have felt no pain [...] if peace had been born in his house, and if he had been able to quietly await the moment of his ruin.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
The devils themselves [...] preferred to return to burn in hell than to live in this world under the orders of such a woman.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
He spoke Latin, argued philosophical theses, and revealed the hidden sins of others.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I want to show you, and everyone else, that I know how to give and take away as I please.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Does he not know that I am accustomed to seeing the magnificences of heaven and the torments of hell?
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Alas! My dear Roderigo, [...] it is your wife who is coming for you.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
His fear was so great that, without considering whether it was possible or reasonable that it could be her, [...] he fled, trembling.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Preferring to return to hell [...] than to submit again to the troubles, annoyances, and dangers that accompany the matrimonial yoke.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
And so it was that [...] Giov. Matteo, who knew more than the devil, soon returned home, full of joy.
1518-1527
Source: Belphegor (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Whether it is better to be loved than feared.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
One must avoid being despised and hated.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
As much as accusations are useful in a republic, so are slanders dangerous.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
A corrupt people who regain their liberty can maintain it only with the greatest difficulty.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Whoever wishes to reform an old constitution in a free state must retain at least the shadow of ancient customs.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Men are rarely either entirely good or entirely bad.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
When a great danger has arisen [...], it is better to temporize with the evil than to confront it head-on.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Men are driven from one ambition to another; they first seek to secure themselves from offense, and then to oppress their rivals.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Often the people desire their own ruin, deceived by a false appearance [...].
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The multitude is wiser and more constant than a prince.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Despite the general opinion, money is not the sinew of war.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Fortune blinds the minds of men when she does not wish them to oppose her designs.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
For a [...] state to have a long existence, it must often be brought back to its founding principles.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
It is necessary to change with the times if one wishes to always have fortune on one's side.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
One often achieves through violence and audacity what one would never obtain through ordinary means.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The words of a wise man can easily bring a misguided people back to the right path [...], whereas no voice dares to rise to enlighten a wicked prince; there is only one remedy, the sword.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
To cure the ills of the people, a few words suffice; the sword must be used to root out those of princes.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The greatest evils are found where the greatest remedies are necessary.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
When a people is given over to all furies [...], one does not fear the present evil, but fears its future results; one trembles to see a tyrant rise from the heart of the disorders.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Under bad princes, [...] it is the present evil that makes one tremble; all hope is in the future; men hope that from his excesses, liberty may be born.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The cruelty of the multitude is directed at those it suspects of wanting to usurp the common good; that of the prince pursues all those he regards as enemies of his private good.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The unfavorable opinion one has of the people stems only from the freedom with which one can speak ill of them without fear, [...] whereas one cannot speak of princes without a thousand dangers.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Treaties imposed by force will be observed neither by a prince nor by a republic.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
If the salvation of the State is at stake, [both a prince and a republic], to avert the danger, will break its commitments and will not be afraid to show ingratitude.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Wherever fear reigns, one finds, in effect, the same good faith.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Wherever an imminent danger appears, one will find more steadfastness in a republic than in a prince.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
It is self-interest that breaks the bonds of all alliances.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Peoples are subject to fewer errors than princes, and one should trust them much more surely than the latter.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
In Rome, no regard was ever paid to age, and virtue was always sought, whether it was found in the young or the old.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
One cannot demand that men engage in labors that have no reward as their goal, [...] without exposing the State to the greatest dangers.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
To truly know the nature of the people, one must be a prince; and to truly know the nature of princes, one must be of the people.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Men are so fond of changing their ruler, hoping to better themselves; [...] but [...] experience shows them that they have been deceived and have only worsened their situation.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Men must be either pampered or crushed, because they can get revenge for small injuries, but not for grievous ones.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The prince who is the cause of another's greatness is himself ruined.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
One does not avoid a war; it is only postponed to the advantage of others.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The desire to acquire is doubtless a very natural and ordinary thing; [...] but to form the design without the power to execute it is to incur blame and commit an error.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Whoever conquers a state accustomed to freedom and does not destroy it, may expect to be destroyed by it.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Rebellion is constantly provoked by the name of liberty and the memory of ancient institutions, which are never effaced [...] by the passage of time or the benefits of a new master.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
There is no enterprise more difficult to conduct, more uncertain in its success, and more dangerous than introducing new institutions.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
[The innovator] has for enemies all those who derived profit from the old institutions, and finds but lukewarm defenders in those who would profit from the new.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
All armed prophets have been successful, and the unarmed ones have been destroyed.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
It is a mistake to imagine that, among great personages, new benefits cause old injuries to be forgotten.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Cruelties should be committed all at once, so that their bitterness being less felt, they will excite less resentment; benefits, on the contrary, ought to be conferred gradually, that they may be savored the more.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
When men receive some good from one of whom they expected only evil, they are much more grateful.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Auxiliary [arms] are always dangerous to him who calls on them; for if they are defeated, he is undone, and if they are victorious, he is in their power.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
It seems to me that one should only reveal things one wishes to keep secret when compelled by necessity.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I divided my time between study, pleasure, and business, in such a way that none of these could harm the other.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I lived [...] serving everyone, and trying not to offend anyone: thus I was welcome everywhere.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
The reputation [...] was far below the reality, which is usually very rare.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Nothing is ever so desperate that some door to hope does not remain open, however weak or illusory it may be.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
The desire and firm resolution to succeed in an enterprise do not allow one to believe that it can fail.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
When a man finds it in his interest to do something, there is reason to believe, when it is pointed out to him, that he will act in good faith.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Be careful he does not deceive you; these parasites are not accustomed to acting in good faith.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
These doctors of medicine do not even know what they are preaching.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
It seems to me quite rare to see the proverb verified in marriages: God makes people, and they pair up.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Often a man of merit ends up with a beast, or a wise woman falls into the hands of a fool.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
One can draw [...] from our man's stupidity an advantage: it is that one must not lose all hope.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
He is a man [...] devoid of common sense, and has even less courage.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
We may lack the time to act; we will always have enough time to talk.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
I tremble that the hope you feed me might dissipate into smoke.
1518
Source: The Mandrake (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
And it is not without reason that the voice of the people is said to be the voice of God.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
In the election of its magistrates, one sees [...] the people make far better choices than a prince; and one will never persuade the people to raise a corrupt man to a position of dignity [...].
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
A prince who can indulge his every whim is usually a madman; and a people that can do all it wants too often gives way to reckless errors.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
When a people is given over to all the furies of popular upheavals, it is not its rampages that one fears [...] one trembles to see a tyrant rise from the midst of the disorders.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The cruelty of the multitude is directed at those it suspects of wanting to usurp the common good; that of the prince pursues all those he regards as enemies of his private good.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It is interest that breaks the bonds of all alliances; and, from this point of view, republics are much more faithful observers of treaties than are princes.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Men, most of the time without reason, praise past times and blame the present time.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It is through fear or envy that men give themselves to hatred: now these two most fertile sources of hatred are dried up with regard to the past.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
I believe that the world has always been the same, and that it has never ceased to contain within it an equal amount of good and evil.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It is not private interest, but the common good that makes states great. It is clear that the common interest is only respected in republics.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It seems that this new morality has made men weaker, and has delivered the world to audacious scoundrels.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
All cities, all states that live under the protection of liberty, wherever they exist, always achieve the greatest success.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
He who wishes a city to acquire a vast empire must use all his industry to fill it with inhabitants: without a numerous population, a city will never succeed in growing.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Nothing is more false than the common opinion that money is the sinew of war.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
If one begins a war when one wishes, one does not end it in the same way: consequently, a prince, before throwing himself into the hazards of an enterprise, must long measure his forces.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
the present overwhelms us, the future threatens us, and one suffers as much from the fear of living as from that of dying.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
the shops are closed, activities suspended, the courts [...] absent, and the laws forgotten: today we learn of a theft, tomorrow a murder.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
the squares, the markets, where citizens frequently gathered, have become tombs or the receptacle of the vilest populace.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
A relative finds a relative, a brother a brother, a wife her husband; each moves away as quickly as possible.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
fathers and mothers push away their own children and forsake them.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
One only hears these words: So-and-so is dead, so-and-so is sick; this one has fled, that one is shut up at home; [...] there are some of whom we have no news.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Most busy themselves seeking the origin of the evil; some say, 'The astrologers threaten us,' others, 'The prophets foretold it.'
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
whatever the power of the imagination, it is impossible for it to match reality on all points.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Who could have ever imagined that a time would come when these people [the gravediggers] would wish for the health of the sick [...]?
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Those who, to preserve themselves for the fatherland, temporarily moved away from it [...] were less mistaken than those who, unable to serve it, exposed themselves to the danger of leaving it forever.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
regarding love as a plague all the more dangerous as it lasts longer, I walked away without answering him.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Error is inherent in human nature; it is enough merely to reconsider.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
It is said of you men [...] that your promises are long, and your loyalty is short.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
If the best way to avoid the plague is to have joy, the mere presence of my lover is enough to make it bloom in my heart.
1527
Source: Description of the Plague of Florence (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Fortune, no doubt, wanted to prove to us that it is she alone, and not foresight, that makes great men.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
It is a very important thing in this world to know oneself, and to know how to measure one's strength against the greatness of one's State.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
[...] it was the victory, and not the manner of victory, which produced glory.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
Never did a man rush into danger with more audacity, nor emerge from it with more prudence.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
Men must attempt everything and be frightened of nothing, because God protects those who have courage [...].
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
He who is considered wise during the day cannot be regarded as a fool during the night.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
[...] nothing is easier than going to hell, because the path is always downhill and one goes with one's eyes closed.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
When one does not feel inclined for war, one must strive to reign through the arts of peace.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
Are you laughing because something good has happened to you, or because someone else is unhappy?
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
You are mistaken, [...] it is a new enemy I have put to death.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
It is not for leaving that you should be ashamed, but for having entered.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
I am not surprised, [...] everyone values their life for what it is worth.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
He was asked when one should eat to be well; he replied: 'If one is rich: when one is hungry. If one is poor: when one can.'
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
Another boasted of drinking a lot without getting drunk: 'An ox does as much,' he told him.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
[...] I know that when I am dead this country will be turned upside down.
1512-1527
Source: Literary Works of Machiavelli
The unlimited confidence [...] and the excellent opinion we have [of someone] engage us to beseech them.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
Knowing no one more capable of reassuring us, we have resolved to entrust this care to [the chosen person].
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
[We act] in the conviction that the affection [a person] has for us will encourage them to take on the task willingly.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
If indeed [you] consent [...], we will believe we have nothing more to fear on that side for our interests.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
In order to [...] give a guide to direct them to their destination, we send [an expert].
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
[We charge our expert] with accompanying and leading them by the most convenient path.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
We [...] beseech, in the most urgent manner, to meet our expectations.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
[One must act] with that eagerness and prudence which are [...] customary.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
[We flatter ourselves that they will do so] all the more willingly, as the service we ask for is honorable.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
To compensate for the departure of the troops [...] a leader capable of commanding the army is needed.
1498
Source: First mission to Lord Piombino
One can only regard [he who is inspired by God] as the blind instrument of divine omnipotence.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The leader [inspired by God] was in this sense far inferior, as a man, to the founder of an empire [...] and to the heroes.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
[Heroes], through their own valor and their own strength, accomplished greater deeds than [others] did with the immediate assistance of God.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
[An easy conquest means the king] had nothing more to do than a quartermaster who would mark the lodgings on the doors with chalk.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The idea of substituting national troops for mercenary troops.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
[Machiavelli is a] military writer and observer of the state of Europe, with regard to war, at the end of the Middle Ages.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Men are so avid for novelty that even the fortunate desire it as eagerly as those whose lot is to be pitied.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Men are moved by two powerful motives: affection or fear; and it is as easy for one who makes himself feared to command, as for one who makes himself loved.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
He who desires too much to be loved [...] obtains only contempt: he, on the contrary, who seeks only to be feared, and overshoots the mark, becomes the object of hatred.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
To walk between these two excesses [being loved or feared] is an absolutely impossible thing, to which human nature itself is opposed.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It is a rule without exception that if you give severe orders, you must have them carried out mercilessly, lest you become the victim yourself.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
A man who is deprived of any advantage never loses the memory of it: the slightest need is enough to revive it.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
To make oneself the object of universal hatred without profiting from it is a thoroughly imprudent and reckless course of action.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
It is impossible, once blood has been shed [...] that a peace imposed by force can last for long.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
There is no better way to corrupt one's own citizens [...] than to have to govern a city divided by factions.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The faults of the people arise from their princes; for they never stem from anything but their negligence or from their being tainted with the same errors themselves.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Envy is overcome in two ways: [...] by an imminent danger [...] where everyone renounces all personal ambition, or [...] by the death of those it possesses.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Great men are always the same, whatever their fortune: if it varies, whether exalting or oppressing them, they alone do not change.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
The foundation of all states was a good militia, and [...] where it does not exist, there can be neither good laws nor any other good thing.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Men, being accustomed to judging events by their results, blame the author of the advice for all the evil that follows.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
Although it is a detestable action to employ fraud in the conduct of life, nevertheless, in the conduct of war, it becomes a laudable and glorious thing.
1513-1519
Source: Discourses on Livy
To find a way to make amusing things more amusing and unpleasant things less unpleasant.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
We shall constantly slander one another [...] without being held back by any consideration.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
It is expressly forbidden to speak well of one another.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
All deliberations [...] shall be decided by the minority of members present; [...] those who obtain the fewest votes shall always be the ones who prevail.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
If a secret [...] were not divulged within two days, the one guilty of such discretion shall be condemned.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
The more one babbles, the more one speaks all at once, the more praise one will deserve.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
No member shall or may render any service whatsoever to another member: [...] he must always do it in the opposite way.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Everyone shall be bound to envy the happiness of others, and consequently to cause them all the annoyances within his power.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
He or she who utters the most words to say nothing shall be the most honored.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Everyone [...] shall boast of what he does not have and what he does not do: if he happens to tell the truth [...] he shall be punished.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
One shall never manifest by any outward sign what one feels in one's soul: one shall strive to do the very opposite.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
He who knows best how to dissemble or tell lies will deserve the most praise.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
One shall spend the greater part of one's time in adornment and grooming, under penalty [...] of not being looked at by any member of the society.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Indiscretion, slander, fatuity, selfishness: all the vices of what is often wrongly called good company.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
[Satire...] finds many traits that can be applied to the societies of all ages.
16th century
Source: Rules for a Society of Pleasure (Machiavelli, trans. Périès)
Hard times did not startle the Romans and could not humble them. On the other hand, prosperity never made them insolent.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
This insolence in good fortune and this abjectness in adversity are born from one's way of life and the education one has received.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The foundation of all States is a good military, and where it does not exist, there can be neither good laws nor any other good thing.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
A general cannot trust ignorant soldiers [...], and, even if a new Hannibal were to lead them, he himself would succumb under such a burden.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
When you want a people or a prince to reject all settlement, there is no surer way [...] than to incite them to some grave treachery.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
To win a victory, the army must have confidence in itself and in its general.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The surest indication one can have of a man's character is to know the people he associates with.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Men, accustomed to judging events by their results, blame the author of the advice for all the evil that follows.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
there is always some evil so closely linked to the good that it seems impossible to enjoy one without suffering the drawbacks of the other.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
In the conduct of war, [cunning] becomes a praiseworthy and glorious thing; and he who triumphs by it over his enemies deserves hardly less praise than he who triumphs by arms.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
I do not consider it a glorious cunning that leads us to break a given faith and concluded treaties; for [...] it has never brought glory.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
The fatherland is always well defended, in whatever way it is defended, whether by glory or by shame.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
Wherever one must deliberate on a course of action on which the very safety of the State depends, one must not be stopped by any consideration of justice or injustice, of humanity or cruelty, of glory or of shame.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
To know what is to happen, it is enough to consider what has been, because all the events of this world, in all times, have analogous relations with those which have already passed.
1855
Source: Political Works of Machiavelli (Louandre)
To truly know the nature of the people, one must be a prince; and to truly know princes, one must be one of the people.
1513
Source: The Prince
Men love to change their master in the hope of improving their lot; but [...] experience shows them that they were mistaken and have only worsened their situation.
1513
Source: The Prince
Men must be either pampered or crushed [...] when it comes to offending a man, it must be done in such a way that one need not fear his revenge.
1513
Source: The Prince
Indeed, by foreseeing troubles from afar, it is much easier to remedy them; whereas if they are allowed to grow, it is too late, and the malady becomes incurable.
1513
Source: The Prince
Time drives all things before it, and brings with it good as well as evil, and evil as well as good.
1513
Source: The Prince
The desire to acquire is doubtless a common and natural thing; but to form the intention of doing so without the ability to carry it out is to incur blame and commit an error.
1513
Source: The Prince
One can draw this general rule which is rarely mistaken [...] that the prince who makes another powerful works his own ruin.
1513
Source: The Prince
Whoever, having conquered a state accustomed to living in freedom, does not destroy it, must expect to be destroyed by it.
1513
Source: The Prince
[Men] should take as their models the greatest figures, so that, even if they do not reach the same degree of greatness [...], they may at least reproduce its fragrance.
1513
Source: The Prince
There is no enterprise more difficult to conduct, more uncertain in its success, or more dangerous than introducing new institutions.
1513
Source: The Prince
He who [introduces new institutions] has for enemies all those who profited from the old institutions, and finds only lukewarm defenders in those for whom the new would be useful.
1513
Source: The Prince
People are naturally inconsistent [...] things must therefore be arranged so that when they no longer believe, they can be made to believe by force.
1513
Source: The Prince
By such means, one can acquire power, but not glory.
1513
Source: The Prince
Cruelties should be committed all at once, so that, their bitterness being less felt, they will provoke less anger; benefits, on the contrary, should be conferred slowly, so that they may be savored more.
1513
Source: The Prince
It is an absolute necessity for a prince to have the friendship of his people, and if he does not have it, all recourse fails him in adversity.
1513
Source: The Prince