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the wise man should always follow the roads that have been trodden by the great, and imitate those who have most excelled, so that if he cannot reach their perfection, he may at least acquire something of its savour.

Niccolo Machiavelli

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Niccolo Machiavelli
Age: 58 †
Born: 1469
Born: May 3
Died: 1527
Died: June 22
Diplomat
Historian
Military Theorist
Philosopher
Playwright
Poet
Political Theorist
Politician
Translator
Writer
Florence
Tuscany
Nicolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
Nicolò Machiavelli
N. Machiavelli
Niccolo di Bernardo dei Machiavelli
Machiavelli
Always
Reach
Men
Follow
Excelled
Wise
Savour
Least
Trodden
Cannot
Imitate
May
Roads
Great
Acquire
Something
Perfection

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Every little advantage is of great moment when men have to come to blows.
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Whoever takes it upon himself to establish a commonwealth and prescribe laws must presuppose all men naturally bad, and that they will yield to their innate evil passions as often as they can do so with safety.
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God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.
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Only those means of security are good, are certain, are lasting, that depend on yourself and your own vigor.
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....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.
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Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good.
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With difficulty he is beaten who can estimate his own forces and those of his enemy.
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Thus it is well to seem merciful, faithful, humane, sincere, religious, and also to be so but you must have the mind so disposed that when it is needful to be otherwise you may be able to change to the opposite qualities.
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...the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.
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Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.
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Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.
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Results are often obtained by impetuosity and daring which could never have been obtained by ordinary methods.
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I hold it to be of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words towards any one, for neither the one nor the other in any way diminishes the strength of the enemy but the one makes him more cautious, and the other increases his hatred of you, and makes him more persevering in his efforts to injure you
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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.
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Never do your enemy a minor injury.
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A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.
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Although deceit is detestable in all other things, yet in the conduct of war it is laudable and honorable and a commander who vanquishes an enemy by stratagem is equally praised with one who gains victory by force.
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Men ought either to be well treated, or crushed.
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Good order and discipline in any army are to be depended upon more than courage alone.
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A prince is also respected when he is a true friend and a true enemy that is, when he declares himself on the side of one prince against another without any reservation.
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