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Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli (3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian, historian, musician, poet, and romantic comedic playwright. Machiavelli was also a key figure in realist political theory, crucial to European statecraft during the Renaissance.

 * See also: The Prince

Quotes

 * When evening comes, I return home and enter my study; on the threshold I take off my workday clothes, covered with mud and dirt, and put on the garments of court and palace. Fitted out appropriately, I step inside the venerable courts of the ancients, where, solicitously received by them, I nourish myself on that food that alone is mine and for which I was born; where I am unashamed to converse with them and to question them about the motives for their actions, and they, out of their human kindness, answer me. And for four hours at a time I feel no boredom, I forget all my troubles, I do not dread poverty, and I am not terrified by death. I absorb myself into them completely.
 * Letter to Francesco Vettori (10 December 1513), as translated by James Atkinson, in Prince Machiavelli (1976), p. 19

 * Now, in order to execute a political commission well, it is necessary to know the character of the prince and those who sway his counsels; ... but it is above all things necessary to make himself esteemed, which he will do if he so regulates his actions and conversation that he shall be thought a man of honour, liberal, and sincere. The latter point is highly essential, though too much neglected, as I have seen more than one so lose themselves in the opinion of princes by their duplicity, that they have been unable to conduct a negotiation of the most trifling importance. It is undoubtedly necessary for the ambassador occasionally to mask his game; but it should be done so as not to awaken suspicion and he ought also to be prepared with an answer in case of discovery.
 * "Instructions given by Niccolo Machiavelli to Rafael Girolami, Ambassador to the Emperor," The History of Florence and of the Affairs of Italy: From the Earliest Times to the Death of Lorenzo the Magnificent; Together with The Prince, and Various Historical Tracts, H.G. Bohn, Editor, p.505–06 (1854). Translations of the passage formatted in bold are often presented out of context, as in Arthur Koestler's Darkness At Noon (1941): 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.

 * In judging policies we should consider the results that have been achieved through them rather than the means by which they have been executed.
 * From an undated letter to Piero Soderini (translated here by Dr. Arthur Livingston), in The Living Thoughts of Machiavelli, by Count Carlo Sforza, published by Cassell, London (1942), p. 85

The Prince (1513)

 * ...debbe un uomo prudente entrare sempre per vie battute da uomini grandi, e quelli che sono stati eccellentissimi, imitare...
 * A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent.
 * The Prince (1513), Ch. 6; translated by Luigi Ricci

 * 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.
 * The Prince (1513), Ch. 6; translated by W. K. Marriott

 * I say that every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel. He must, however, take care not to misuse this mercifulness. ... A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and confident; for, with a very few examples, he will be more merciful than those who, from excess of tenderness, allow disorders to arise, from whence spring murders and rapine; for these as a rule injure the whole community, while the executions carried out by the prince injure only one individual. And of all princes, it is impossible for a new prince to escape the name of cruel, new states being always full of dangers. ... Nevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant. From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved. The reply is, that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting. For it may be said of men in general that they are ungrateful, voluble, dissemblers, anxious to avoid danger, and covetous of gain; as long as you benefit them, they are entirely yours; they offer you their blood, their goods, their life, and their children, as I have before said, when the necessity is remote; but when it approaches, they revolt. And the prince who has relied solely on their words, without making other preparations, is ruined, for the friendship which is gained by purchase and not through grandeur and nobility of spirit is merited but is not secured, and at times is not to be had. And men have less scruple in offending one who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared; for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.
 * The Prince (1513), Ch. 17, as translated by Luigi Ricci (1903)
 * Variant translations of portions of this passage:
 * 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.
 * He ought to be slow to believe and to act, nor should he himself show fear, but proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence may not make him incautious and too much distrust render him intolerable.
 * The prince who relies upon their words, without having otherwise provided for his security, is ruined; for friendships that are won by awards, and not by greatness and nobility of soul, although deserved, yet are not real, and cannot be depended upon in time of adversity.

 * How laudable it is for a prince to keep good faith and live with integrity, and not with astuteness, every one knows. Still the experience of our times shows those princes to have done great things who have had little regard for good faith, and have been able by astuteness to confuse men's brains, and who have ultimately overcome those who have made loyalty their foundation. 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. It is therefore necessary to know well how to use both the beast and the man. This was covertly taught to princes by ancient writers, who relate how Achilles and many others of those princes were given to Chiron the centaur to be brought up, who kept them under his discipline; this system of having for teacher one who was half beast and half man is meant to indicate that a prince must know how to use both natures, and that the one without the other is not durable. A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from snares, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognise snares, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not understand this. Therefore, a prudent ruler ought not to keep faith when by so doing it would be against his interest, and when the reasons which made him bind himself no longer exist. If men were all good, this precept would not be a good one; but as they are bad, and would not observe their faith with you, so you are not bound to keep faith with them. ...those that have been best able to imitate the fox have succeeded best. But it is necessary to be able to disguise this character well, and to be a great feigner and dissembler.
 * The Prince (1513), Ch. 18; translated by Luigi Ricci
 * Variant translations of portions of this passage:
 * Every one admits how praiseworthy it is in a prince to keep faith, and to live with integrity and not with craft. Nevertheless our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of little account, and have known how to circumvent the intellect of men by craft, and in the end have overcome those who have relied on their word.
 * The Prince (1513), Ch. 18. Concerning the Way in which Princes should keep Faith, as translated by W. K. Marriott
 * A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.
 * You must know there are two ways of contesting, the one by the law, the other by force; the first method is proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is frequently not sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second.

 * The prince must consider, as has been in part said before, how to avoid those things which will make him hated or contemptible; and as often as he shall have succeeded he will have fulfilled his part, and he need not fear any danger in other reproaches. It makes him hated above all things, as I have said, to be rapacious, and to be a violator of the property and women of his subjects, from both of which he must abstain. And when neither their property nor honour is touched, the majority of men live content, and he has only to contend with the ambition of a few, whom he can curb with ease in many ways. It makes him contemptible to be considered fickle, frivolous, effeminate, mean-spirited, irresolute, from all of which a prince should guard himself as from a rock; and he should endeavour to show in his actions greatness, courage, gravity, and fortitude; and in his private dealings with his subjects let him show that his judgments are irrevocable, and maintain himself in such reputation that no one can hope either to deceive him or to get round him. That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided it is well known that he is an excellent man and revered by his people, he can only be attacked with difficulty.
 * The Prince (1513), Ch. 19; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * It is easier for the prince to make friends of those men who were contented under the former government, and are therefore his enemies, than of those who, being discontented with it, were favourable to him and encouraged him to seize it.
 * Ch. 20

 * "The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
 * A variant translation of: "And the first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his understanding, is by observing the men he has around him." - The Prince (1513), Ch. 22

 * A prince who is not wise himself will never take good advice.
 * The Prince (1513), Ch. 23; translated by W. K. Marriot
 * Variant translation: A prince who is not wise himself cannot be wisely counseled.

Discourses on Livy (1517)

 * Quotes from translations of Discorsi sopra la prima deca di Tito Livio; 3 vols. published between 1512–1517 (Discourses on the First Ten Books of Titus Livius)

 * As all those have shown who have discussed civil institutions, and as every history is full of examples, it is necessary to whoever arranges to found a Republic and establish laws in it, to presuppose that all men are bad and that they will use their malignity of mind every time they have the opportunity; and if such malignity is hidden for a time, it proceeds from the unknown reason that would not be known because the experience of the contrary had not been seen, but time, which is said to be the father of every truth, will cause it to be discovered.
 * Book 1, Ch. 3 Variant portion: Whoever desires to found a state and give it laws, must start with assuming that all men are bad and ever ready to display their vicious nature, whenever they may find occasion for it.

 * 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.
 * Book 1, Ch. 3 (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick)

 * The demands of a free populace, too, are very seldom harmful to liberty, for they are due either to the populace being oppressed or to the suspicious that it is going to be oppressed... and, should these impressions be false, a remedy is provided in the public platform on which some man of standing can get up, appeal to the crowd, and show that it is mistaken. And though, as Tully remarks, the populace may be ignorant, it is capable of grasping the truth and readily yields when a man, worthy of confidence, lays the truth before it.
 * Book 1, Ch. 4 (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick)

 * For as when much superfluous matter has gathered in simple bodies, nature makes repeated efforts to remove and purge it away, thereby promoting the health of these bodies, so likewise as regards that composite body the human race, when every province of the world so teems with inhabitants that they can neither subsist where they are nor remove elsewhere, every region being equally crowded and over-peopled, and when human craft and wickedness have reached their highest pitch, it must needs come about that the world will purge herself in one or another of these three ways, to the end that men, becoming few and contrite, may amend their lives and live with more convenience.
 * Book 1 Ch. 5 (as translated by Ninian Hill Thomson)

 * So in all human affairs one notices, if one examines them closely, that it is impossible to remove one inconvenience without another emerging.
 * Book 1, Ch. 6 (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick)

 * I am firmly convinced, therefore, that to set up a republic which is to last a long time, the way to set about it is to constitute it as Sparta and Venice were constituted; to place it in a strong position, and so to fortify it that no one will dream of taking it by a sudden assault; and, on the other hand, not to make it so large as to appear formidable to its neighbors. It should in this way be able to enjoy its form of government for a long time. For war is made on a commonwealth for two reasons: to subjugate it, and for fear of being subjugated by it.
 * Book 1, Ch. 6 (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick)

 * The people resemble a wild beast, which, naturally fierce and accustomed to live in the woods, has been brought up, as it were, in a prison and in servitude, and having by accident got its liberty, not being accustomed to search for its food, and not knowing where to conceal itself, easily becomes the prey of the first who seeks to incarcerate it again.
 * Book 1, Ch. 16

 * It was the verdict of ancient writers that men afflict themselves in evil and weary themselves in the good, and that the same effects result from both of these passions. For whenever men are not obliged to fight from necessity, they fight from ambition; which is so powerful in human breasts, that it never leaves them no matter to what rank they rise. The reason is that nature has so created men that they are able to desire everything but are not able to attain everything: so that the desire being always greater than the acquisition, there results discontent with the possession and little satisfaction to themselves from it. From this arises the changes in their fortunes; for as men desire, some to have more, some in fear of losing their acquisition, there ensues enmity and war, from which results the ruin of that province and the elevation of another.
 * Book 1, Ch. 37 Variant: Nature has so contrived that to men, though all things are objects of desire, not all things are attainable; so that desire always exceeds the power of attainment, with the result that men are ill-content with what they possess and their present state brings them little satisfaction. Hence arise the vicissitudes of their fortune. (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick)

 * Anyone who studies present and ancient affairs will easily see how in all cities and all peoples there still exist, and have always existed, the same desires and passions. Thus, it is an easy matter for him who carefully examines past events to foresee future events in a republic and to apply the remedies employed by the ancients, or, if old remedies cannot be found, to devise new ones based upon the similarity of the events. But since these matters are neglected or not understood by those who read, or, if understood, remain unknown to those who govern, the result is that the same problems always exist in every era.
 * Book 1, Chapter 39

 * It is enough to ask somebody for his weapons without saying 'I want to kill you with them', because when you have his weapons in hand, you can satisfy your desire.
 * Book 1, Ch 44 (as translated by Julia Conaway Bondanella and Peter Bondanella)

 * When Scipio became consul and was keen on getting the province of Africa, promising that Carthage should be completely destroyed, and the senate would not agree to this because Fabius Maximus was against it, he threatened to appeal to the people, for he knew full well how pleasing such projects are to the populace.
 * Book 1, Ch. 53 (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick)

 * It is truly a marvelous thing to consider to what greatness Athens arrived in the space of one hundred years after she freed herself from the tyranny of Pisistratus; but, above all, it is even more marvelous to consider the greatness Rome reached when she freed herself from her kings. The reason is easy to understand, for it is the common good and not private gain that makes cities great. Yet, without a doubt, this common good is observed only in republics, for in them everything that promotes it is practised, and however much damage it does to this or that private individual, those who benefit from the said common good are so numerous that they are able to advance in spite of the inclination of the few citizens who are oppressed by it.
 * Book 2, Chapter 2

 * The end of the republic is to enervate and to weaken all other bodies so as to increase its own body.
 * Book 2, Ch. 3 (translation by Mansfield and Tarcov)

 * Cunning and deceit will every time serve a man better than force to rise from a base condition to great fortune.
 * Book 2, Ch. 13

 * I assert once again as a truth to which history as a whole bears witness that men may second their fortune, but cannot oppose it; that they may weave its warp, but cannot break it. Yet they should never give up, because there is always hope, though they know not the end and more towards it along roads which cross one another and as yet are unexplored; and since there is hope, they should not despair, no matter what fortune brings or in what travail they find themselves.
 * Book 2, Ch. 29 (as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick)

 * This return of Republics back to their principles also results from the simple virtue of one man, without depending on any law that excites him to any execution: none the less, they are of such influence and example that good men desire to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life contrary to those examples.
 * Book 3, Ch. 1

 * It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious.
 * Book 3, Ch. 38

The Art of War (1520)

 * Quotations from translations of Dell'arte della guerra — also known as On the Art of War

 * I believe that it is possible for one to praise, without concern, any man after he is dead since every reason and supervision for adulation is lacking.
 * Book 1

 * No proceeding is better than that which you have concealed from the enemy until the time you have executed it. To know how to recognize an opportunity in war, and take it, benefits you more than anything else. Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many. Discipline in war counts more than fury.
 * Book 7; Variant translation: No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution. Nothing is of greater importance in time of war than in knowing how to make the best use of a fair opportunity when it is offered. Few men are brave by nature, but good discipline and experience make many so. Good order and discipline in an army are more to be depended upon than ferocity.
 * As translated by Neal Wood (1965)

 * Quello che giova al nimico nuoce a te, e quel che giova a te nuoce al nimico.
 * That which is good for the enemy harms you, and that which is good for you harms the enemy.
 * Rule 1 from Machiavelli's Lord Fabrizio Colonna: libro settimo (Book 7) (Modern Italian uses nemico instead of nimico.)

The Mandrake (1524)

 * Quotations in English are taken from The Essential Writings of Machiavelli, trans. Peter Constantine (Random House, 2009), ISBN 978-0307419996

 * Non è mai alcuna cosa sì disperata, che non vi sia qualche via da poterne sperare.
 * No circumstance is ever so desperate that one cannot nurture some spark of hope.
 * Act I, scene i

 * Le più caritative persone che sieno sono le donne, e le più fastidiose. Chi le scaccia, fugge e fastidii e l'utile; chi le intrattiene, ha l'utile ed e fastidii insieme. Ed è 'l vero che non è el mele sanza le mosche.
 * Women are the most charitable creatures, and the most troublesome. He who shuns women passes up the trouble, but also the benefits. He who puts up with them gains the benefits, but also the trouble. As the saying goes, there's no honey without bees.
 * Act III, scene iv

 * In terra di ciechi chi vi ha un occhio è signore.
 * In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is king.
 * Act III, scene ix

 * El fine si ha a riguardare in tutte le cose.
 * One must never forget to look at the aim of a matter.
 * Act III, scene xi

 * Sono maggiori li spaventi ch'e mali.
 * Fear of evil is greater than the evil itself.
 * Act III, scene xi

 * Le cattive compagnie conducono gli uomini alle forche.
 * Bad company will lead a man to the gallows!
 * Act IV, scene vi

Florentine Histories (1526)

 * Original Italian title: Istorie fiorentine (written 1526)

 * It may be observed, that provinces amid the vicissitudes to which they are subject, pass from order into confusion, and afterward recur to a state of order again; for the nature of mundane affairs not allowing them to continue in an even course, when they have arrived at their greatest perfection, they soon begin to decline. In the same manner, having been reduced by disorder, and sunk to their utmost state of depression, unable to descend lower, they, of necessity, reascend; and thus from good they gradually decline to evil, and from evil again return to good. The reason is, that valor produces peace; peace, repose; repose, disorder; disorder, ruin; so from disorder order springs; from order virtue, and from this, glory and good fortune.
 * Book V, Chapter 1

 * If you only notice human proceedings, you may observe that all who attain great power and riches, make use of either force or fraud; and what they have acquired either by deceit or violence, in order to conceal the disgraceful methods of attainment, they endeavor to sanctify with the false title of honest gains. Those who either from imprudence or want of sagacity avoid doing so, are always overwhelmed with servitude and poverty; for faithful servants are always servants, and honest men are always poor; nor do any ever escape from servitude but the bold and faithless, or from poverty, but the rapacious and fraudulent. 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.
 * Book III, Chapter 13

 * Comincionsi le guerre quando altri vuole, ma non quando altri vuole si finiscono.
 * Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.
 * Variant translation: Wars are begun at will but not ended at will.
 * Book III, Chapter 7.

Disputed

 * When Machiavelli came to the end of his life, he had a vision shortly before giving up the ghost. He saw a small company of poor scoundrels, all in rags, ill-favoured, famished, and, in short, in as bad plight as possible. He was told that these were the inhabitants of paradise, of whom it is written, Beati pauperes, quoniam ipsorum est regnum caelorum. After they withdrew, innumerable serious and majestic personages appeared, who seemed to be sitting in a senate-house and dealing with the most important affairs of state. Among them he saw Plato, Aristotle, Seneca, Plutarch, Tacitus, and others of similar character; but he was told at the same time that those venerable personages, notwithstanding their appearance, were the damned, and the souls rejected by heaven, for Sapientia huius saeculi, inimica est Dei. . After this, he was asked to which of the groups he would choose to belong; he answered that he would much rather be in Hell with those great geniuses, to converse with them about affairs of state, than be condemned to the company of the verminous scoundrels that he had first been shown.
 * This account of Machiavelli's "Dream" was not published until a century after his death, in Etienne Binet's Du salut d'Origene (1629).
 * There is an earlier but more oblique reference in a letter written by Giovambattista Busini in 1549: "Upon falling ill, [Machiavelli] took his usual pills and, becoming weaker as the illness grew worse, told his famous dream to Filippo [Strozzi], Francesco del Nero, Iacopo Nardi and others, and then reluctantly died, telling jokes to the last.".
 * The "Dream" is commonly condensed into a more pithy form, such as "I desire to go to hell, and not to heaven. In the former place I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings, and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks, hermits, and apostles".

Misattributed

 * War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.
 * This is a quotation of Titus Livius IX:1 iustum enim est bellum quibus necessarium, et pia arma ubi nulla in armis spes est) that Machiavelli uses in Ch. 24 of Discourses on Livy; Machiavelli similarly writes that "The justice of the cause is conspicuous; for that war is just which is necessary, and those arms are sacred from which we derive our only hope." (The Prince, Ch. 26)

 * I am not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
 * This is a quote by Newt Gingrich, first appearing in an article in the Los Angeles Times in 1991.

 * Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.
 * Though Machiavelli commented on the relative ease of gaining favor from friends and enemies in Chapter 20 of The Prince, quoted above, in recent years this has become more commonly and just as wrongly attributed to Sun Tzu, as this particular wording actually originates with a line spoken by Michael Corleone in The Godfather Part II (1974), written by Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola:
 * My father taught me many things here. He taught me in this room. He taught me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.

 * Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.
 * Quote allegedly from The Prince, but not found there textually.

Quotes about Machiavelli

 * TANTO NOMINI NULLUM PAR ELOGIUM
 * With such a name, there is no need for eulogy.
 * Inscribed on Machiavelli's tomb

 * He is the earliest conscious and articulate exponent of certain living forces in the present world. Religion, progressive enlightenment, the perpetual vigilance of public opinion, have not reduced his empire, or disproved the justice of his conception of mankind. He obtains a new lease of life from causes that are still prevailing, and from doctrines that are apparent in politics, philosophy, and science. Without sparing censure, or employing for comparison the grosser symptoms of the age, we find him near our common level, and perceive that he is not a vanishing type, but a constant and contemporary influence. Where it is impossible to praise, to defend, or to excuse, the burden of blame may yet be lightened by adjustment and distribution, and he is more rationally intelligible when illustrated by lights falling not only from the century he wrote in, but from our own, which has seen the course of its history twenty-five times diverted by actual or attempted crime.
 * Lord Acton, 'Introduction' to Niccolò Machiavelli, Il Principe, ed. L. A. Burd (1891), p. xl

 * We are much beholden to Machiavelli and others, that write what men do, and not what they ought to do. For it is not possible to join serpentine wisdom with the columbine innocency, except men know exactly all the conditions of the serpent; his baseness and going upon his belly, his volubility and lubricity, his envy and sting, and the rest; that is, all forms and natures of evil. For without this, virtue lieth open and unfenced. Nay, an honest man can do no good upon those that are wicked, to reclaim them, without the help of the knowledge of evil.
 * Francis Bacon, Meditationes sacræ (1597), Book II, xxi, 9.

 * When Machiavelli advises the Prince to carry out the Machiavellian scheme of action, he invests those actions with no sort of morality or beauty. For him morality remains what it is for everyone else, and does not cease to remain so because he observes (not without melancholy) that it is incompatible with politics. ... For him evil, even if it aids politics, still remains evil. The modern realists are the moralists of realism. For them, the act which makes the State strong is invested with a moral character by the fact that it does so, and this whatever the act may be. The evil which serves politics ceases to be evil and becomes good.
 * Julien Benda, Treason of the Intellectuals, pp. 107-108.

 * What has been shown by Machiavelli, who is often (like Nietzsche) congratulated for tearing off hypocritical masks, brutally revealing the truth, and so on, is not that men profess one thing and do another (although no doubt he shows this too) but that when they assume that the two ideals are compatible, or perhaps are even one and the same ideal, and do not allow this assumption to be questioned, they are guilty of bad faith (as the existentialists call it, or of “false consciousness,” to use a Marxist formula) which their actual behavior exhibits. Machiavelli calls the bluff not just of official morality—the hypocrisies of ordinary life—but of one of the foundations of the central Western philosophical tradition, the belief in the ultimate compatibility of all genuine values. His own withers are unwrung. He has made his choice. He seems wholly unworried by, indeed scarcely aware of, parting company with traditional Western morality.
 * Isaiah Berlin, "The Originality of Machiavelli" (1971); see also Isaiah Berlin

 * At a certain stage in my reading, I naturally met with the principal works of Machiavelli. They made a deep and lasting impression upon me, and shook my earlier faith. I derived from them not the most obvious teachings [...] but something else. Machiavelli was not a historicist: he thought it possible to restore something like the Roman Republic or Rome of the early Principate. He believed that to do this one needed a ruling class of brave, resourceful, intelligent, gifted men who knew how to seize opportunities and use them, and citizens who were adequately protected, patriotic, proud of their State, epitomes of manly, pagan virtues. [...] But Machiavelli also sets side by side with this the notion of Christian virtues – humility, acceptance of suffering, unworldliness, the hope of salvation in an afterlife – and he remarks that if, as he plainly himself favours, a State of a Roman type is to be established, these qualities will not promote it: those who live by the precepts of Christian morality are bound to be trampled on by the ruthless pursuit of power on the part of men who alone can re-create and dominate the republic which he wants to see. He does not condemn Christian virtues. He merely points out that the two moralities are incompatible, and he does not recognise an overarching criterion whereby we are enabled to decide the right life for men. The combination of virtù and Christian values is for him an impossibility. He simply leaves you to choose – he knows which he himself prefers. The idea that this planted in my mind was the realisation, which came as something of a shock, that not all the supreme values pursued by mankind now and in the past were necessarily compatible with one another. It undermined my earlier assumption, based on the philosophia perennis, that there could be no conflict between true ends, true answers to the central problems of life.
 * Isaiah Berlin, "The Pursuit of the Ideal", New York Review of Books, 17 March 1988; republished in The Crooked Timber of Humanity : Chapters in the History of Ideas (1990; 2013)

 * Machiavelli is the first important political realist... The three essential tenets implicit in Machiavelli's doctrine are the foundation-stones of the realist philosophy. In the first place, history is a sequence of cause and effect, whose course can be analysed and understood by intellectual effort, but not (as the utopians believe) directed by "imagination". Secondly, theory does not (as the utopians assume) create practice, but practice theory. In Machiavelli's words, "good counsels, whencesoever they come, are born of the wisdom of the prince, and not the wisdom of the prince from good counsels". Thirdly, politics are not (as the utopians pretend) a function of ethics, but ethics of politics. Men "are kept honest by constraint". Machiavelli recognised the importance of morality, but thought that there could be no effective morality where there was no effective authority. Morality is the product of power. The extraordinary vigour and vitality of Machiavelli's challenge to orthodoxy may be attested by the fact that, more than four centuries after he wrote, the most conclusive way of discrediting a political opponent is still to describe him as a disciple of Machiavelli. Bacon was one of the first to praise him for "saying openly and without hypocrisy what men are in the habit of doing, not what they ought to do".
 * E. H. Carr, The Twenty Years' Crisis, 1919–1939: An Introduction to the Study of International Relations (1939), pp. 81-82

 * Perhaps the most influential book ever written on the characteristics of men in politics is The Prince, by the great Renaissance Italian Nicolo Machiavelli (1469-1527). Despite its enduring popularity, fascination, and authority it is extremely one-sided and unsystematic.
 * Robert A. Dahl, Modern Political Analysis (1963), p. 113

 * In attempting to teach the prince how to achieve, maintain, and expand power, Machiavelli made his fundamental and celebrated distinction between "the effective truth of things" and the "imaginary republics and monarchies that have never been seen nor have been known to exist." The implication was that moral and political philosophers had hitherto talked exclusively about the latter and had failed to provide guidance to the real world in which the prince must operate. This demand for a scientific, positive approach was extended only later from the prince to the individual, from the nature of the state to human nature. Machiavelli probably sensed that a realistic theory of the state required a knowledge of human nature, but his remarks on that subject, while invariably acute, are scattered and unsystematic.
 * Albert O. Hirschman, The Passions and the Interests (1977), p. 12-13

 * If one desires to learn at one blow, to what degree of hideousness the fact can attain, viewed at the distance of centuries, let him look at Machiavelli. Machiavelli is not an evil genius, nor a demon, nor a miserable and cowardly writer; he is nothing but the fact. And he is not only the Italian fact; he is the European fact, the fact of the sixteenth century. He seems hideous, and so he is, in the presence of the moral idea of the nineteenth..
 * Victor Hugo, Les Misérables, Volume IV, Book 1, Chapter 1

 * The jury is still out, but what Machiavelli described—either to recommend or subtly denounce it—was a diplomacy without conscience. It may look brilliant, but many who commented on Machiavelli noted that hidden in his works is the idea that a diplomacy totally separated from morality and conscience may achieve results occasionally but in most cases, and in the long run, would not work. …However we decide to read him, Machiavelli listed as the three features of effective diplomacy caution, art (meaning the mastery of a number of technical tools), and above all patience.
 * Massimo Introvigne, "Machiavelli, Diplomacy, and Tai Ji Men", Bitter Winter (2023)

 * The cool cynicism of Machiavelli's teaching is impressive. Not only does he recommend to princes absolute unscrupulousness; his advice is based on the assumption that all their subjects are gullible and guided solely by self-interest. Some have been shocked by the book's immorality; others have found its lack of humbug refreshing. Few, however, have been persuaded to admire the models held up by Machiavelli, such as Pope Alexander VI and his son Cesare Borgia.
 * Anthony Kenny, A New History of Western Philosophy, Vol. III. The Rise of Modern Philosophy (2006), Ch. 9. Political Philosophy

 * There is really very little of Machiavelli's one can accept or use in the contemporary world. The one thing I find interesting in Machiavelli is his estimate of the prince's will. Interesting, but not such as to influence me. If you want to know who has influenced me most, I'll answer with two philosophers' names: Spinoza and Kant. Which makes it all the more peculiar that you choose to associate me with Machiavelli.
 * Henry Kissinger, in interview with Oriana Fallaci, The New Republic (December 16, 1972)

 * Machiavelli is the complete contrary of a machiavellian, since he describes the tricks of power and “gives the whole show away.” The seducer and the politician, who live in the dialectic and have a feeling and instinct for it, try their best to keep it hidden.
 * Maurice Merleau-Ponty, In Praise of Philosophy (Chicago: 1963), p. 59

 * My vacation, my preference, my cure for all things Platonic has always been Thucydides. Thucydides, and perhaps Machiavelli's Principe are most closely related to me in terms of their unconditional will not to be fooled and to see reason in reality, - not in 'reason', and even less in ‘morality’...
 * Friedrich Nietzsche, "Twilight of the Idols"

 * It has been said that the project of Machiavelli was to expound a science of politics, but this, I think, misses the significant point. [...] The project of Machiavelli was, then, to provide a crib to politics, a political training in default of a political education, a technique for the ruler who had no tradition. He supplied a demand of his time; and he was personally and temperamentally interested in supplying the demand because he felt the 'fascination of what is difficult'. The new ruler was more interesting because he was far more likely than the educated hereditary ruler to get himself into a tricky situation and to need the help of advice. But, like the great progenitors of Rationalism in general (Bacon and Descartes), Machiavelli was aware of the limitations of technical knowledge; it was not Machiavelli himself, but his followers, who believed in the sovereignty of technique, who believed that government was nothing more than 'public administration' and could be learned from a book. And to the new prince he offered not only his book, but also, what would make up for the inevitable deficiencies of his book - himself: he never lost the sense that politics, after all, are diplomacy, not the application of a technique.
 * Michael Oakeshott, "Rationalism in Politics" (1947), published in Rationalism in Politics and other essays (1962)

 * Machiavelli was the first philosopher to define politics as treachery. This is not to say that he approved of treachery, only that he wished to describe politics as  various forms of it. That he set out to do so, however, is no doubt why for almost five hundred years the single most influential of all modern political thinkers, as this biography hopes to show, has himself been described as revolting, nauseating, unprincipled and evil.
 * Paul Oppenheimer, Machiavelli: A Life Beyond Ideology (2011), "Introduction: Modern Evil and The Sack of Rome"

 * It is  this that Samuel insisted on to the Hebrews; it is this that Machiavelli clearly demonstrated. While pretending to give lessons to kings, he gave great ones to peoples. The Prince of Machiavelli is the book for republicans.
 * Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, Book III: Chapter VI

 * Machiavelli was an honorable man and a good citizen; but, attached to the house of the Medici, he was forced, during the oppression of his country, to conceal his love for liberty. The mere choice of his execrable hero sufficiently manifests his secret intention; and the opposition between the maxims of his book the Prince and those of his Discourses on Titus Livius and his History of Florence shows that this profound politician has had hitherto only superficial or corrupt readers. The court of Rome has strictly prohibited his book; I certainly believe it, for it is that court which he most clearly depicts.
 * Jean-Jacques Rousseau, The Social Contract, Book III: Chapter VI

 * This misfortune occurred to Machiavelli, who, had he been a Machiavellian, would sooner have written an edifying book than his ill-reputed Prince. In actuality, Machiavelli was on the defensive as was also his country, Italy, which in the sixteenth century had been invaded by Germans, Frenchmen, Spaniards, and Turks. At the beginning of the nineteenth century the situation of the ideological defensive was repeated in Germany-during the revolutionary and Napoleonic invasions of the French. When it became important for the German people to defend themselves against an expanding enemy armed with a humanitarian ideology, Machiavelli was rehabilitated by Fichte and Hegel.
 * Carl Schmitt, The Concept of the Political (1927)

 * In the case of a prince whose sole motive is lust for power, the means he must employ to strengthen and preserve his state have been described at some length by that keen observer, Machiavelli, but with what purpose appears uncertain. If he did have some good purpose in mind, as one should believe of so wise a man, it must have been to show how foolish are the attempts so often made to get rid of a tyrant while yet the causes that have made the prince a tyrant cannot be removed; on the contrary, they become more firmly established as the prince is given more grounds for fear.
 * Baruch Spinoza, Political Treatise, Chapter 5

 * Call me a dreamer, but one day, my name will become an adjective for everything cynical and untrustworthy in human nature.
 * This is a quote farcically attributed to Machiavelli in America: The Book by Jon Stewart and other people associated with The Daily Show on Comedy Central; it is not a serious attribution.

 * We shall not shock anyone, we shall merely expose ourselves to good-natured or at any rate harmless ridicule, if we profess ourselves inclined to the old fashioned and simple opinion according to which Machiavelli was a teacher of evil.
 * Leo Strauss, Thoughts on Machiavelli (1958), Introduction
 * See also Leo Strauss and Leo Strauss

 * The founder of modern political philosophy is Machiavelli. He tried to effect, and he did effect, a break with the whole tradition of political philosophy. He compared his achievement to that of men like Columbus. He claimed to have discovered a new moral continent. His claim is well founded; his political teaching is "wholly new." The only question is whether the new continent is fit for human habitation.
 * Leo Strauss, "What is Political Philosophy?", published in What is Political Philosophy? And Other Studies (1959)

 * We would like to believe that Machiavelli's insights can be retained and his extremism discarded, that his notion of esecuzione can be absorbed into the modern liberal constitution without the tyrannical requirement of uno solo that may give us a shiver or may merely seem quaint.
 * Harvey Mansfield, Machiavelli's Virtue

 * Niccolò Machiavelli was the restorer of the Roman conception of politics as civil wisdom—that is, the idea of politics as the wisdom of the citizen whose aim is to preserve the civil life—and the founder of the theory of modern republicanism based pon this conception. He was a founder, but in a very different sense from the usual meaning of the word, and most of the pompous titles which have been attributed to him should be put aside, beginning with the least justified of all, that of founder of the modern science of politics.
 * Maurizio Viroli, Machiavelli (1998), "Introduction"

 * The elements of Realpolitik, exhaustively listed, are these: The ruler's, and later the state's, interest provides the spring of action; the necessities of policy arise from the unregulated competition of states; calculation based on these necessities can discover the policies that will best serve a state's interests; success is the ultimate test of policy, and success is defined as preserving and strengthening the state . Ever since Machiavelli, interest and necessity — and raison d'état, the phrase that comprehends them-have remained the key concepts of Realpolitik. From Machiavelli through Meinecke and Morgenthau the elements of the approach and the reasoning remain constant. Machiavelli stands so clearly as the exponent of Realpolitik that one easily slips into thinking that he developed the closely associated idea of balance of power as well . Although he did not, his conviction that politics can be explained in its own terms established the ground on which balance-of-power theory can be built.
 * Kenneth Waltz, Theory of International Politics (1979) Chapter 6. Anarchic Structures and Balances of Power

title: Niccolò Machiavelli


text:
The Prince

The Prince (Italian: Il Principe; Latin: De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of The Prince is of accepting that the aims of princes – such as glory and survival – can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends.

Quotes

 * Original Italian title: Il Principe. Full text.

 * A cognoscer bene la natura de' popoli bisogna esser Principe, ed a cognoscer bene quella de' Principi conviene essere popolare.
 * To understand the nature of the people it needs to be a prince, and to understand that of princes it needs to be of the people.
 * Dedication

 * Upon this, one has to remark that 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.
 * Ch. 3
 * Variant translation:
 * Never do any enemy a small injury for they are like a snake which is half beaten and it will strike back the first chance it gets.

 * Il tempo si caccia innanzi ogni cosa, e può condurre seco bene come male, male come bene.
 * Time drives everything before it, and is able to bring with it good as well as evil, and evil as well as good.
 * Ch. 3, as translated by M. K. Marriot (1908)

 * The Romans never allowed a trouble spot to remain simply to avoid going to war over it, because they knew that wars don't just go away, they are only postponed to someone else's advantage. Therefore, they made war with Philip and Antiochus in Greece, in order not to have to fight them in Italy... They never went by that saying which you constantly hear from the wiseacres of our day, that time heals all things. They trusted rather their own character and prudence — knowing perfectly well that time contains the seeds of all things, good as well as bad.
 * Ch. 3, as translated by RM Adams
 * Variants [these can seem to generalize the circumstances in ways that the translation above does not.]:
 * The Romans, foreseeing troubles, dealt with them at once, and, even to avoid a war, would not let them come to a head, for they knew that war is not to be avoided, but is only put off to the advantage of others.
 * There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.

 * If someone puts up the argument that King Louis gave the Romagna to Pope Alexander, and the kingdom of Naples to Spain, in order to avoid a war, I would answer as I did before: that you should never let things get out of hand in order to avoid war. You don't avoid such a war, you merely postpone it, to your own disadvantage.
 * Ch. 3, as translated by RM Adams

 * ...perché sempre, ancora che uno sia fortissimo in sugli eserciti, ha bisogno del favore de’ provinciali a intrare in una provincia.
 * ...because you will always, however strong your armies may be, need the favour of the inhabitants to the possession of a province.
 * Ch. 3

 * And here we must observe that men must either be flattered or crushed; for they will revenge themselves for slight wrongs, whilst for grave ones they cannot. The injury therefore that you do to a man should be such that you need not fear his revenge.
 * Ch. 3

 * And so it is with State affairs. For the distempers of a State being discovered while yet inchoate, which can only be done by a sagacious ruler, may easily be dealt with; but when, from not being observed, they are suffered to grow until they are obvious to every one, there is no longer any remedy.
 * Ch. 3

 * […]you ought never to suffer your designs to be crossed in order to avoid war, since war is not so to be avoided, but is only deferred to your disadvantage.
 * Ch. 3

 * ...debbe un uomo prudente entrare sempre per vie battute da uomini grandi, e quelli che sono stati eccellentissimi, imitare...
 * A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent.
 * Ch. 6; translated by Luigi Ricci

 * For, besides what has been said, it should be borne in mind that the temper of the multitude is fickle, and that while it is easy to persuade them of a thing, it is hard to fix them in that persuasion. Wherefore, matters should be so ordered that when men no longer believe of their own accord, they may be compelled to believe by force.
 * Ch. 6

 * 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.
 * Ch. 6; translated by W. K. Marriott

 * Hence it comes that all armed prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed prophets have been destroyed.
 * Ch. 6; translated by N. H. Thomson

 * Chi crede che ne' personaggi grandi beneficii nuovi faccino dimenticare l'ingiurie vecchie, s'inganna.
 * He who believes that new benefits will cause great personages to forget old injuries is deceived.
 * Ch. 7; translated by W. K. Marriott

 * Those cruelties we may say are well employed, if it be permitted to speak well of things evil, which are done once for all under the necessity of self-preservation, and are not afterwards persisted in, but so far as possible modified to the advantage of the governed. Ill-employed cruelties, on the other hand, are those which from small beginnings increase rather than diminish with time. They who follow the first of these methods, may, by the grace of God and man, find, as did Agathocles, that their condition is not desperate; but by no possibility can the others maintain themselves.
 * Ch. 8

 * Chi fonda in sul populo fonda in sul fango.
 * He who builds on the people, builds on the mud.
 * Ch. 9; translated by W. K. Marriott

 * E però un principe savio deve pensare un modo per il quale i suoi cittadini sempre ed in ogni modo e qualità di tempo abbiano bisogno dello Stato di lui, e sempre poi gli saranno fedeli.
 * Therefore a wise prince ought to adopt such a course that his citizens will always in every sort and kind of circumstance have need of the state and of him, and then he will always find them faithful.
 * Ch. 9; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * La natura degli uomini è, così obligarsi per li beneficii che essi fanno, come per quelli che essi ricevono.
 * It is the nature of men to be bound by the benefits they confer as much as by those they receive.
 * Ch. 10; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws where the state is not well armed, it follows that where they are well armed they have good laws.
 * Ch. 12; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. And, on the contrary, it is seen that when princes have thought more of ease than of arms they have lost their states. And the first cause of your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art.
 * Ch. 14; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * Among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised.
 * Ch. 14; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * Because there is nothing proportionate between the armed and the unarmed; and it is not reasonable that he who is armed should yield obedience willingly to him who is unarmed, or that the unarmed man should be secure among armed servants. Because, there being in the one disdain and in the other suspicion, it is not possible for them to work well together.
 * Ch. 14; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * And therefore a prince who does not understand the art of war, over and above the other misfortunes already mentioned, cannot be respected by his soldiers, nor can he rely on them. He ought never, therefore, to have out of his thoughts this subject of war, and in peace he should addict himself more to its exercise than in war; this he can do in two ways, the one by action, the other by study.
 * Ch. 14; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * Molti si sono immaginate Repubbliche e Principati, che non si sono mai visti nè cognosciuti essere in vero; perchè egli è tanto discosto da come si vive, a come si doveria vivere, che colui che lascia quello che si fa per quello che si doveria fare, impara piuttosto la rovina, che la preservazione sua.
 * Many have imagined republics and principalities which have never been seen or known to exist in reality; for how we live is so far removed from how we ought to live, that he who abandons what is done for what ought to be done, will rather bring about his own ruin than his preservation.
 * Ch. 15; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * Un uomo che voglia fare in tutte le parti professione di buono, conviene che rovini fra tanti che non sono buoni.
 * A man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil.
 * Ch. 15; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * È necessario ad un Principe, volendosi mantenere, imparare a potere essere non buono, ed usarlo e non usarlo secondo la necessità.
 * It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.
 * Ch. 15; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * But since it is my object to write what shall be useful to whosoever understands it, it seems to me better to follow the real truth of things than an imaginary view of them. For many Republics and Princedoms have been imagined that were never seen or known to exist in reality. And the manner in which we live, and that in which we ought to live, are things so wide asunder, that he who quits the one to betake himself to the other is more likely to destroy than to save himself; since any one who would act up to a perfect standard of goodness in everything, must be ruined among so many who are not good. It is essential therefore for a prince to have learnt how to be other than good and to use, or not to use, his goodness as necessity requires.
 * Ch. 15

 * I say that every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel. He must, however, take care not to misuse this mercifulness. ... A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and confident; for, with a very few examples, he will be more merciful than those who, from excess of tenderness, allow disorders to arise, from whence spring murders and rapine; for these as a rule injure the whole community, while the executions carried out by the prince injure only one individual. And of all princes, it is impossible for a new prince to escape the name of cruel, new states being always full of dangers. ... Nevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant. From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved. The reply is, that one ought to be both feared and loved, but as it is difficult for the two to go together, it is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting. For it may be said of men in general that they are ungrateful, voluble, dissemblers, anxious to avoid danger, and covetous of gain ; as long as you benefit them, they are entirely yours; they offer you their blood, their goods, their life, and their children, as I have before said, when the necessity is remote; but when it approaches, they revolt. And the prince who has relied solely on their words, without making other preparations, is ruined, for the friendship which is gained by purchase and not through grandeur and nobility of spirit is merited but is not secured, and at times is not to be had. And men have less scruple in offending one who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared; for love is held by a chain of obligation which, men being selfish, is broken whenever it serves their purpose; but fear is maintained by a dread of punishment which never fails.
 * Ch. 17, as translated by Luigi Ricci (1903)
 * Variant translations of portions of this passage:
 * 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.
 * He ought to be slow to believe and to act, nor should he himself show fear, but proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence may not make him incautious and too much distrust render him intolerable.
 * The prince who relies upon their words, without having otherwise provided for his security, is ruined; for friendships that are won by awards, and not by greatness and nobility of soul, although deserved, yet are not real, and cannot be depended upon in time of adversity.

 * Still, a prince should make himself feared in such a way that if he does not gain love, he at any rate avoids hatred; for fear and the absence of hatred may well go together, and will be always attained by one who abstains from interfering with the property of his citizens and subjects or with their women. And when he is obliged to take the life of any one, to do so when there is a proper justification and manifest reason for it; but above all he must abstain from taking the property of others, for men forget more easily the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony. Then also pretexts for seizing property are never wanting, and one who begins to live by rapine will always find some reason for taking the goods of others, whereas causes for taking life are rarer and more quickly destroyed.
 * Ch. 17; translated by Luigi Ricci

 * A Prince, therefore, if he is enabled thereby to forbear from plundering his subjects, to defend himself, to escape poverty and contempt, and the necessity of becoming rapacious, ought to care little though he incur the reproach of miserliness, for this is one of those vices which enable him to reign.
 * Ch. 17

 * And when he is obliged to take the life of any one, to do so when there is a proper justification and manifest reason for it; but above all he must abstain from taking the property of others, for men forget more easily the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.
 * Ch. 17

 * For of men it may generally be affirmed, that they are thankless, fickle, false studious to avoid danger, greedy of gain, devoted to you while you are able to confer benefits upon them, and ready, as I said before, while danger is distant, to shed their blood, and sacrifice their property, their lives, and their children for you; but in the hour of need they turn against you.
 * Ch. 17

 * How laudable it is for a prince to keep good faith and live with integrity, and not with astuteness, every one knows. Still the experience of our times shows those princes to have done great things who have had little regard for good faith, and have been able by astuteness to confuse men's brains, and who have ultimately overcome those who have made loyalty their foundation. 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. It is therefore necessary to know well how to use both the beast and the man. This was covertly taught to princes by ancient writers, who relate how Achilles and many others of those princes were given to Chiron the centaur to be brought up, who kept them under his discipline; this system of having for teacher one who was half beast and half man is meant to indicate that a prince must know how to use both natures, and that the one without the other is not durable. A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from snares, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognise snares, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not understand this. Therefore, a prudent ruler ought not to keep faith when by so doing it would be against his interest, and when the reasons which made him bind himself no longer exist. If men were all good, this precept would not be a good one; but as they are bad, and would not observe their faith with you, so you are not bound to keep faith with them. ...those that have been best able to imitate the fox have succeeded best. But it is necessary to be able to disguise this character well, and to be a great feigner and dissembler.
 * Ch. 18; translated by Luigi Ricci
 * Variant translations of portions of this passage:
 * Every one admits how praiseworthy it is in a prince to keep faith, and to live with integrity and not with craft. Nevertheless our experience has been that those princes who have done great things have held good faith of little account, and have known how to circumvent the intellect of men by craft, and in the end have overcome those who have relied on their word.
 * Ch. 18. Concerning the Way in which Princes should keep Faith, as translated by W. K. Marriott
 * A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.
 * You must know there are two ways of contesting, the one by the law, the other by force; the first method is proper to men, the second to beasts; but because the first is frequently not sufficient, it is necessary to have recourse to the second.

 * Sono tanto semplici gli uomini, e tanto ubbidiscono alle necessità presenti, che colui che inganna, troverà sempre chi si lascerà ingannare.
 * Men are so simple, and so subject to present necessities, that he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.
 * Ch. 18; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise... But it is necessary to know how to disguise this nature well and to be a great hypocrite and a liar.
 * Ch. 18; translated by Peter Bondanella

 * ognuno vede quello che tu pari, pochi sentono quello che tu se; e quelli pochi non ardiseano opporsi alla opinione di molti che abbino la maestà dello stato ch li difenda:...
 * Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are, and those few dare not oppose themselves to the opinion of the many, who have the majesty of the state to defend them.
 * Ch. 18; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * Be it known, then, that there are two ways of contending, one in accordance with the laws, the other by force; the first of which is proper to men, the second to beasts. But since the first method is often ineffectual, it becomes necessary to resort to the second.
 * Ch. 18

 * ...and in the actions of all men, and especially of princes, which it is not prudent to challenge, one judges by the result.
 * Ch. 18

 * The prince must consider, as has been in part said before, how to avoid those things which will make him hated or contemptible; and as often as he shall have succeeded he will have fulfilled his part, and he need not fear any danger in other reproaches. It makes him hated above all things, as I have said, to be rapacious, and to be a violator of the property and women of his subjects, from both of which he must abstain. And when neither their property nor honour is touched, the majority of men live content, and he has only to contend with the ambition of a few, whom he can curb with ease in many ways. It makes him contemptible to be considered fickle, frivolous, effeminate, mean-spirited, irresolute, from all of which a prince should guard himself as from a rock; and he should endeavour to show in his actions greatness, courage, gravity, and fortitude; and in his private dealings with his subjects let him show that his judgments are irrevocable, and maintain himself in such reputation that no one can hope either to deceive him or to get round him. That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided it is well known that he is an excellent man and revered by his people, he can only be attacked with difficulty.
 * Ch. 19; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * A prince ought to have two fears, one from within, on account of his subjects, the other from without, on account of external powers. From the latter he is defended by being well armed and having good allies, and if he is well armed he will have good friends, and affairs will always remain quiet within when they are quiet without, unless they should have been already disturbed by conspiracy; and even should affairs outside be disturbed, if he has carried out his preparations and has lived as I have said, as long as he does not despair, he will resist every attack.
 * Ch. 19; Variant: Against foreign powers, a prince can defend himself with good weapons and good friends; if he has good weapons, he will never lack for good friends. (as translated by RM Adams)

 * Gli stati bene ordinati, e li Principi savi hanno con ogni diligenza pensato di non far cadere in disperazione i grandi e di satisfare al popolo, e tenerlo contento.
 * Well-ordered states and wise princes have taken every care not to drive the nobles to desperation, and to keep the people satisfied and contented, for this is one of the most important objects a prince can have.
 * Ch. 19; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * Si deve notare che l'odio si acquista così mediante le buone opere, come le triste; e però, come io dissi di sopra, volendo un Principe mantenere lo Stato, è spesso forzato a non esser buono.
 * It should be noted that hatred is acquired as much by good works as by bad ones, therefore, as I said before, a prince wishing to keep his state is very often forced to do evil.
 * Ch. 19; translated by W. K. Marriot
 * Variant: And here it is to be noted that hatred is incurred as well on account of good actions as of bad; or which reason, as I have already said, a Prince who would maintain his authority is often compelled to be other than good. For when the class, be it the people, the soldiers, or the nobles, on whom you judge it necessary to rely for your support, is corrupt, you must needs adapt yourself to its humours, and satisfy these, in which case virtuous conduct will only prejudice you.

 * Queste simili morti, le quali seguitano per deliberazione di un animo deliberato e ostinato, non si possono da' Principi evitare, perchè ciascuno che non si curi di morire, lo può fare.
 * Such-like deaths, which are deliberately inflicted with a resolved and desperate courage, cannot be avoided by princes, because any one who does not fear to die can inflict them.
 * Ch. 19; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * For a Prince is exposed to two dangers, from within in respect of his subjects, from without in respect of foreign powers. Against the latter he will defend himself with good arms and good allies, and if he have good arms he will always have good allies;
 * Ch. 19

 * La migliore fortezza che sia, è non essere odiato da' popoli.
 * The best possible fortress is—not to be hated by the people.
 * Ch. 20; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * There never was a new prince who has disarmed his subjects; rather when he has found them disarmed he has always armed them, because, by arming them, those arms become yours, those men who were distrusted become faithful, and those who were faithful are kept so, and your subjects become your adherents. And whereas all subjects cannot be armed, yet when those whom you do arm are benefited, the others can be handled more freely, and this difference in their treatment, which they quite understand, makes the former your dependents, and the latter, considering it to be necessary that those who have the most danger and service should have the most reward, excuse you. But when you disarm them, you at once offend them by showing that you distrust them, either for cowardice or for want of loyalty, and either of these opinions breeds hatred against you.
 * Ch. 20, S. 2

 * It is easier for the prince to make friends of those men who were contented under the former government, and are therefore his enemies, than of those who, being discontented with it, were favourable to him and encouraged him to seize it.
 * Ch. 20; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * Nè creda mai alcuno Stato poter pigliare partiti sicuri... La prudenza consiste in saper cognoscere la qualità degli inconvenienti, e prendere il manco tristo per buono.
 * Never let any Government imagine that it can choose perfectly safe courses... Prudence consists in knowing how to distinguish the character of troubles, and for choice to take the lesser evil.
 * Ch. 21; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * And it will always happen that he who is not your friend will invite you to neutrality, while he who is your friend will call on you to declare yourself openly in arms. Irresolute Princes, to escape immediate danger, commonly follow the neutral path, in most instances to their destruction.
 * Ch. 21

 * The first opinion which one forms of a prince, and of his understanding, is by observing the men he has around him; and when they are capable and faithful he may always be considered wise, because he has known how to recognize the capable and to keep them faithful. But when they are otherwise one cannot form a good opinion of him, for the prime error which he made was in choosing them.
 * Ch. 22; translated by W. K. Marriot
 * Variant translation: The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

 * Sono di tre generazioni cervelli; l'uno intende per sè, l'altro intende quanto da altri gli è mostro, il terzo non intende nè sè stesso nè per dimostrazione d'altri. Quel primo è eccellentissimo, il secondo eccellente, il terzo inutile.
 * 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, and the third is useless.
 * Ch. 22; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * There is no other way of guarding oneself against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth; but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect.
 * Ch. 23; translated by Luigi Ricci

 * A prince who is not wise himself will never take good advice.
 * Ch. 23; translated by W. K. Marriot
 * Variant translation: A prince who is not wise himself cannot be wisely counseled.

 * Conchiudo adunque, che, variando la fortuna, e gli uomini stando nei loro modi ostinati, sono felici mentre concordano insieme, e come discordano sono infelici. Io giudico ben questo, che sia meglio essere impetuoso, che rispettivo, perchè la Fortuna è donna; ed è necessario, volendola tener sotto, batterla, ed urtarla; e si vede che la si lascia più vincere da questi che da quelli che freddamente procedono.
 * I conclude, then, that so long as Fortune varies and men stand still, they will prosper while they suit the times, and fail when they do not. But I do feel this: that it is better to be rash than timid, for Fortune is a woman, and the man who wants to hold her down must beat and bully her. We see that she yields more often to men of this stripe than to those who come coldly toward her.
 * Ch. 25, as translated by RM Adams

 * Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
 * Ch. 26; translated by W. K. Marriot

 * God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.
 * Ch. 26; translated by W. K. Marriot

Attributed

 * And that prince who bases his power entirely on...words, finding himself completely without other preparations, comes to ruin.

Quotes about The Prince

 * No work in the history of political thought has aroused greater controversy than The Prince. Machiavelli's full intention in writing the work remains obscure. What does come through clearly is his ironic quality of mind.
 * Dante Germino, Machiavelli to Marx (1972), Ch. 2 : Machiavelli

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: The Prince


text:
Talk:Zen proverbs

I think putting an explanation of a zen proverb is kind of inappropriate.

 * I agree. In fact I think we stopped putting meanings against any quotations near the beginning of the project. Notes are sometimes needed to explain the context of a quote, but just rewording a quotation detracts rather than adds to it. Nanobug 14:29, 5 Sep 2003 (UTC)

The words are interesting enough to attract attention and distract from a pure experience...is that why the (Chinese?) consider an interesting life to be a curse?

Sources?

 * Please source your quotations. This is especially important in an article like this one, where dubious (or untraditional) zen aphorisms can pop up just about anywhere.  (I am not saying we should not include untraditional quotations, but it would be nice to know where these are coming from).
 * Any help in sourcing the quotations we already have would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.  :)> tartaruga 17:37, 24 December 2006 (UTC)
 * I added the warning in bold to sort of counter the obvious problems with this article. I don't know what the correct tag would be, so I hope this is good enough for now. Eduardo Cuellar 08:25, 5 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I changed the warning to be (hopefully) more formal and accurate. -- 24.225.128.134 20:10, 18 March 2007 (UTC)
 * It seems that a few of these 'proverbs' are quotes from Stargate SG-1. - Ricksal0224 01:47, 31 March 2008 (UTC)

 * No the quotes from Stargate SG1 were taken from Zen Buddhist sayings and texts that have been around long before SG1. - zenpractioner

A good blogpost debunking some of these sayings. http://tim.2wgroup.com/blog/archives/001916.html (not by me)

Any source that the Stargate saying preceeded Stargate?

 * Wise men learn by other men's mistakes, fools by their own.
 * --H. G. Bohn

 * The tighter you squeeze the less you have.
 * Thomas Merton, American Trappist Monk. Merton dabbled with Buddhism
 * http://thinkexist.com/quotation/the_tighter_you_squeeze-the_less_you_have/225623.html

The tighter you squeeze the more star systems will slip through your fingers. - Princess Leia to Darth Vader

 * Zen students must learn to waste time conscientiously.

 * Another Thomas Merton quote, which appears to have been altered. The original: "Waste time conscientiously with God" -- a rather un-Buddhist reference to the deity of Western monotheism.

 * A weed is a plant whose virtues are only waiting to be discovered.
 * Ralph Waldo Emerson, "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have not yet been discovered."

 * You do not wait for fulfilment, but brace yourself for failure.
 * Seems to have originated from Eugen Harrigel:

A Nazi party member who studied archery under a teacher who did not self-identify as a Zen master.

also, Zen Buddhists do not seek "the one" so "the ways to the one are as many as the lives of men" does not seem very 'Zen.' Source? --76.166.24.76 03:15, 13 October 2008 (UTC)

 * "A samurai once asked Zen Master Hakuin where he would go after he died."...

Seems to be from Philip Kapleau, although the snippet view won't let me verify this. --Gwern 19:55, 14 August 2010 (UTC)

Unsourced
Unknown
 * Zen is selling water by the river. (after Harada Daiun Sogaku roshi's last words)

 * There's no meaning to a flower unless it blooms.

 * Do not seek the truth, only cease to cherish (your) opinions.

Hsin Hsin Ming
 * If you understand, things are just as they are; if you do not understand, things are just as they are.

 * In the landscape of spring, there is neither better nor worse. The flowering branches grow naturally, some long, some short.

 * Knock on the sky and listen to the sound.

 * The ten thousand questions are one question. If you cut through the one question, then the ten thousand questions disappear.

 * The ways to the One are as many as the lives of men.

 * Though the bamboo forest is dense, water flows through it freely.

 * To do a certain kind of thing, you have to be a certain kind of person.

 * To follow the path, look to the master, follow the master, walk with the master, see through the master, become the master.

 * When the pupil is ready to learn, a teacher will appear.

 * Why do you ask questions? If you already knew the flame was fire then the meal was cooked a long time ago. (Oma Desala, Stargate SG-1; various)

 * At first, I saw mountains as mountains and rivers as rivers. Then, I saw mountains were not mountains and rivers were not rivers. Finally, I see mountains again as mountains, and rivers again as rivers.

 * If the problem has a solution, worrying is pointless, in the end the problem will be solved. If the problem has no solution, there is no reason to worry, because it can't be solved.

 * Do not seek to follow in the footsteps of the men of old; seek what they sought.

 * Before enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water. After enlightenment, chopping wood and carrying water.

Basho
 * An autumn night... don't think your life didn't matter.

 * There is nothing you can see that is not a flower; there is nothing you can think that is not the moon.

Ugo Betti
 * At any given moment, I open my eyes and exist. And before that, during all eternity, what was there? Nothing.

Chuang-tzu
 * The torch of doubt and chaos, this is what the sage steers by.

 * It is everywhere.

 * To a mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders.

Dogen
 * If you cannot find the truth right where you are, where else do you expect to find it?

 * Zazen is itself enlightenment.

 * The whole moon and the entire sky are reflected in one dewdrop on the grass.

 * There is no beginning to practice nor end to enlightenment; There is no beginning to enlightenment nor end to practice.

T.S. Eliot
 * And the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.

Fen-Yang
 * When you are deluded and full of doubt, even a thousand books of scripture are not enough. When you have realized understanding, even one word is too much.

Hakuin
 * Should you desire great tranquility, prepare to sweat white beads.

Hui-neng
 * Zen: Seeing into one's own nature.

koan
 * How do you step from the top of a 100-foot pole?

Muso Kokushi
 * It is better to practice a little than talk a lot.

Lao Tzu
 * We shape clay into a pot, but it is the emptiness inside that holds whatever we want.

 * A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.

Oscar Levant
 * So little time, so little to do.

Robert M. Pirsig
 * The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there.

Yasutani Roshi
 * The fundamental delusion of humanity is to suppose that I am here and you are out there.

Baba Ram Dass
 * The quieter you become, the more you can hear.

Albert Schweitzer (paraphrased)
 * Natural and super-natural, temporal and eternal - continuums, not absolutes.

The Shodoka
 * You must neither strive for truth nor seek to lose your illusions.

D. T. Suzuki
 * We have two eyes to see two sides of things, but there must be a third eye which will see everything at the same time and yet not see anything. That is to understand Zen.

 * One falling leaf is not just one leaf; it means the whole autumn.

Shunryu Suzuki
 * As long as you seek for something, you will get the shadow of reality and not reality itself.

 * Zen is not some kind of excitement, but merely concentration on our usual everyday routine.

 * In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert's mind there are few.

 * The most important point is to accept yourself and stand on your two feet.

 * Life is like stepping onto a boat that is about to sail out to sea and sink.

Sayen Shaku
 * My heart burns like fire but my eyes are as cold as dead ashes.

Sheng-ts'an
 * To set up what you like against what you don't like -- this is the disease of the mind.

 * No yesterday, no tomorrow, and no today.

 * Don't seek reality, just put an end to opinions.

Gertrude Stein
 * When you get there, there isn't any there there.

Ts'ai Ken T'an
 * Water which is too pure has no fish.

Alan Watts
 * Nothing is exactly as it seems, nor is it otherwise.

Jesus Christ
 * Let the dead bury the dead.

Elie Wiesel
 * What does mysticism mean? It means the way to attain knowledge. It's close to philosophy, except in philosophy you go horizontally while in mysticism you go vertically.

Wu-men
 * Ten thousand flowers in spring; the moon in autumn; a cool breeze in summer; snow in winter. If your mind isn't clouded by unnecessary things, this is the best season of your life.

It takes time to grasp it. When you understand that it's foolish to look for fire with fire, The meal is already cooked.
 * Since it is all too clear

 * The instant you speak about a thing, you miss the mark.

 * If you're attached to anything, you surely will go far astray.

 * Only the crystal-clear question yields a transparent answer.

 * All of the significant battles are waged within the self.

 * Life is the only thing worth living for.

 * Better to sit all night than to go to bed with a dragon.

 * Live every day like your hair was on fire.

 * When you get to the top of the mountain, keep climbing.

 * The mind should be as a mirror.

 * There is nothing infinite apart from finite things.

 * Everyday life is the way.

 * Great Faith. Great Doubt. Great Effort. - The three qualities necessary for training.

 * If you do not get it from yourself, Where will you go for it?

 * Do not permit the events of your daily life to bind you, but never withdraw yourself from them.

 * Where there is great doubt, there will be great awakening; small doubt, small awakening, no doubt, no awakening.

 * Sitting peacefully doing nothing Spring comes and the grass grows all by itself.

 * Everything the same; everything distinct.

 * Lovely snowflakes, they fall nowhere else!

 * Chop wood, carry water.

 * Possessing much knowledge is like having a thousand foot fishing line with a hook, but the fish is always an inch beyond the hook.

 * A noble heart never forces itself forward. Its words are as rare gems, seldom displayed and of great value.

 * If you meet on the way a man who knows, Don't speak a word -- Don't keep silent!

 * Even a good thing isn't as good as nothing.

 * This is not the Buddha, this is the Buddha.

 * One moon shows in every pool, in every pool the one moon.

 * Studying Zen, learning the way, is originally for the sake of birth and death, no other thing.

 * What do I mean by other things? Arousing the mind and stirring thoughts right now; having contrivance and artificiality; having grasping and rejecting; having practice and realization; having purity and defilement; having sacred and profane; having Buddhas and sentient beings; writing verses and songs, composing poems and odes; discoursing on Zen and the way; discoursing on right and wrong; discoursing on past and present.

 * These various activities are not relevant to the issue of birth and death; they are all "other things."

Chien-ju
 * No ego, no pain.

Freidrich Nietzsche
 * When you gaze long into an abyss the abyss also gazes into you.

Deletion discussion
This page was nominated for deletion. The result of this discussion was keep. BD2412 T 04:20, 12 December 2012 (UTC)

title: Talk:Zen proverbs