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Occasionally words must serve to veil the facts. But let this happen in such a way that no one become aware of it or, if it should be noticed, excuses must be at hand to be produced immediately.

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
Facts
Produced
Happens
Immediately
Hands
Excuse
Become
Serve
Veil
Must
Aware
Excuses
Way
Happen
Veils
Hand
Occasionally
Words
Noticed

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He who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation.
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Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not to suffer.
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The ends justifies the means.
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There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt.
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Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.
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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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The reformer has enemies in all who profit by the old order, and only lukewarm defenders in all those who would profit by the new order.
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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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The innovator has for enemies all who have done well under the old, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new.
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We must distinguish between those who depend on others, that is between those who to achieve their purposes can force the issue and those who must use persuasion. In the second case, they always come to grief, having achieved nothing when, however, they depend on their own resources and can force the issue, then they are seldom endangered.
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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.
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(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.
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All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer.
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Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself another which appreciates what others comprehend and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless.
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For as good habits of the people require good laws to support them, so laws, to be observed, need good habits on the part of the people.
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Forgiveness proceeds from a generous soul.
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It is a common failing of man not to take account of tempests during fair weather.
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Men ought either to be well treated, or crushed.
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God and nature have thrown all human fortunes into the midst of mankind and they are thus attainable rather by rapine than by industry, by wicked actions rather than by good. Hence it is that men feed upon each other, and those who cannot defend themselves must be worried.
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I'm not interested in preserving the status quo I want to overthrow it.
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