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Men are always averse to enterprises in which they foresee difficulties.

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
Men
Averse
Foresee
Enterprises
Difficulties
Enterprise
Difficulty
Ignorance

More quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli

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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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A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.
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Republics have a longer life and enjoy better fortune than principalities, because they can profit by their greater internal diversity. They are the better able to meet emergencies.
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There is no avoiding war it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
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There is simply no comparison between a man who is armed and one who is not. It is simply unreasonable to expect that an armed man should obey one who is unarmed, or that an unarmed man should remain safe and secure when his servants are armed.
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I'm not interested in preserving the status quo I want to overthrow it.
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It is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman.
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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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Benefits should be conferred gradually and in that way they will taste better.
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We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.
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A son could bear with great complacency, the death of his father, while the loss of his inheritance might drive him to despair.
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Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.
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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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Men are so stupid and concerned with their present needs, they will always let themselves be deceived.
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Appear as you may wish to be
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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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The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms.
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it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.
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Men never do good unless necessity drives them to it but when they are free to choose and can do just as they please, confusion and disorder become rampant.
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To ensure victory the troops must have confidence in themselves as well as in their commanders.
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