A wise ruler should rely on what is under his own control, not on what is under the control of others. Niccolo Machiavelli More Quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli More Quotes From Niccolo Machiavelli 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. Niccolo Machiavelli wish mistake men Appear as you may wish to be Niccolo Machiavelli wish may There is nothing so difficult or so dangerous as to undertake to change the order of things. Niccolo Machiavelli difficult dangerous order I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it. Niccolo Machiavelli challenging-the-status-quo philosophical want It ought to be remembered that 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. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them. Niccolo Machiavelli art-of-war men believe Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil. Niccolo Machiavelli philosophical hate evil The unarmed man is not just defenseless - he is also contemptible. Niccolo Machiavelli unarmed second-amendment men You have to be a prince to understand the people, and you have to belong to the people to understand the princes. Niccolo Machiavelli people A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise. Niccolo Machiavelli art-of-war keeping-promises philosophical A battle that you win cancels any other bad action of yours. In the same way, by losing one, all the good things worked by you before become vain. Niccolo Machiavelli winning war art 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. Niccolo Machiavelli bad-ass badass revenge 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. Niccolo Machiavelli art-of-war confusion men How we live is so different from how we ought to live that he who studies what ought to be done rather than what is done will learn the way to his downfall rather than to his preservation. Niccolo Machiavelli different done way 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. Niccolo Machiavelli crazy love children Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please. Niccolo Machiavelli please ends war Conquered states that have been accustomed to liberty and the government of their own laws can be held by the conqueror in three different ways. The first is to ruin them; the second, for the conqueror to go and reside there in person; and the third is to allow them to continue to live under their own laws, subject to a regular tribute, and to create in them a government of a few, who will keep the country friendly to the conqueror Niccolo Machiavelli government war country You must know, then, that there are two methods of fighting, the one by law, the other by force: the first method is that of men, the second of beasts; but as the first method is often insufficient, one must have recourse to the second. Niccolo Machiavelli fighting war art A prince... must learn from the fox and the lion... One must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves. Those who act simply as lions are stupid. So it follows that a prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honour his word when it places him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made his promise no longer exist. Niccolo Machiavelli stupid war art So in all human affairs one notices, if one examines them closely, that it is impossible to remove one inconvenience without another emerging. Niccolo Machiavelli impossible war art The peasant wants only to be left alone to prosper in peace. Niccolo Machiavelli peasants left-alone want
