There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt. Niccolo Machiavelli More Quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli More Quotes From Niccolo Machiavelli It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver. Niccolo Machiavelli deceit philosophical literature He who builds on the people, builds on the mud Niccolo Machiavelli mud people Impetuosity and audacity often achieve what ordinary means fail to achieve. Niccolo Machiavelli audacity ordinary mean Ability and perseverance are the weapons of weakness. Niccolo Machiavelli perseverance weakness weapons It is often found that modesty and humility not only do no good, but are positively hurtful, when they are shown to the arrogant who have taken up a prejudice against you, either from envy or from any other cause. Niccolo Machiavelli envy taken humility Never was anything great achieved without danger. Niccolo Machiavelli philosophical danger success Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not to suffer. Niccolo Machiavelli sloth ambition mistake I hold it to be a proof of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words toward anyone, for neither diminishes the strength of the enemy. Niccolo Machiavelli insulting men enemy When evening comes, I return home and go into my study. On the threshold I strip off my muddy, sweaty clothes of everyday, and put on the robes of court and palace, and in this graver dress I enter the antique courts of the ancients and am welcomed by them, and there I taste the food that alone is mine, and for which I was born. And there I make bold to speak to them and ask the motives of their actions, and they, in their humanity, reply to me. And for the space of four hours I forget the world, remember no vexation, fear poverty no more, tremble no more at death; I pass indeed into their world. Niccolo Machiavelli clothes space home It is a foolish prince who entrusts the safety of his lands to hired men. Niccolo Machiavelli safety land men 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. Niccolo Machiavelli powerful witty love He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command. Niccolo Machiavelli crazy wish war 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. Niccolo Machiavelli change leadership inspirational Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. Niccolo Machiavelli art-of-war philosophical motivational 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. Niccolo Machiavelli greatness ambition mistake Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. Niccolo Machiavelli quality war peace It is necessary that the prince should know how to color his nature well, and how to be a hypocrite and dissembler. For men are so simple, and yield so much to immediate necessity, that the deceiver will never lack dupes. Niccolo Machiavelli hypocrite simple men Knowing how to fight made men more bold, because no one fears doing what it seems to him he has learned to do. Therefore, the ancients wanted their citizens to be trained in every warlike action. Niccolo Machiavelli fighting war art I hold strongly to this: that it is better to be impetuous than circumspect; because fortune is a woman and if she is to be submissive it is necessary to beat and coerce her. Niccolo Machiavelli submissive beats fortune 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
