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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

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
Makes
Increase
Cautious
Great
Neither
Prudence
Way
Military
Increases
Persevering
Men
Strength
Diminish
Abstain
Hold
Efforts
Diminishes
Enemy
Towards
Injure
Effort
Threat
Insulting
Words
Hatred
Threats

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For without invention, no one was ever a great man in his own trade.
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Every little advantage is of great moment when men have to come to blows.
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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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Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
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There is no avoiding war it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
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A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
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Human beings remain constant in their methods of conduct.
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Since the handling of arms is a beautiful spectacle, it is delightful to young men.
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Besides what has been said, people are fickle by nature and it is a simple to convince them of something but difficult to hold them in that conviction and, therefore, affairs should be managed in such a way that when they no longer believe, they can be made to believe by force.
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Never was anything great achieved without danger.
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Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.
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Princes should delegate to others the enactment of unpopular measures and keep in their own hands the means of winning favours.
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From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both: but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.
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One of the great secrets of the day is to know how to take possession of popular prejudices and passions, in such a way as to introduce a confusion of principles which makes impossible all understanding between those who speak the same language and have the same interests.
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For as laws are necessary that good manners be preserved, so there is need of good manners that law may be maintained.
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...it is a base thing to look to others for your defense instead of depending upon yourself. That defense alone is effectual, sure, and durable which depends upon yourself and your own valor.
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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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Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas in antiquity.
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The world has always been the same and there is always as much good fortune as bad in it.
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It has always been the opinion and judgment of wise men that nothing can be so uncertain as fame or power not founded on its own strength.
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