A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLIWar should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.
More Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes
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When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred.
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The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.
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The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.
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There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.
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War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.
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Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
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Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil.
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The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not.
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Men are so simple and yield so readily to the desires of the moment that he who will trick will always find another who will suffer to be tricked.
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The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.
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Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.
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Benefits ought to be handed ought drop by drop, so that they may be relished the more.
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It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.
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Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.
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A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
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The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.
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I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
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His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.
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Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.
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Severities should be dealt out all at once, so that their suddenness may give less offense.
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He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.
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Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.
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There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others.
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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.
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The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love.
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Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.
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