Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes
Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes
- 1
A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.
Niccolo-MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli
- 2
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.
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- 3
A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
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- 4
Before all else, be armed.
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- 5
Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better.
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- 6
Entrepreneurs are simply those who understand that there is little difference between obstacle and opportunity and are able to turn both to their advantage.
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- 7
Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil.
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- 8
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.
Niccolo-MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli
- 9
Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.
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- 10
I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
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- 11
If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.
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- 12
It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.
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- 13
It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
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- 14
It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.
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- 15
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.
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- 16
Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.
Niccolo-MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli
- 17
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.
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- 18
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.
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- 19
Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.
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- 20
Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.
Niccolo-MachiavelliNiccolo Machiavelli
- 21
Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.
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- 22
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
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- 23
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.
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- 24
Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
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- 25
One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.
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- 26
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.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 27
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.
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- 28
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.
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- 29
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.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 30
The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.
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- 31
The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 32
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.
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- 33
The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.
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- 34
The question is, then, do we try to make things easy on ourselves or do we try to make things easy on our customers, whoever they may be?
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- 35
The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.
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- 36
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.
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- 37
There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 38
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.
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- 39
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.
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- 40
War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 41
We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/41.php">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 42
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.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/42.php">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 43
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/43.php">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 44
Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/44.php">Niccolo Machiavelli
- 45
Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.
Niccolo-Machiavelli/45.php">Niccolo Machiavelli
