Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLIA return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man.
More Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes
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Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.
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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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But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes.
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A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.
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The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow.
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The wise man does at once what the fool does finally.
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To understand the nature of the people one must be a prince, and to understand the nature of the prince, one must be of the people.
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It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.
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Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries – for heavy ones they cannot.
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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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Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.
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One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.
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Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate.
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The wish to acquire more is admittedly a very natural and common thing; and when men succeed in this they are always praised rather than condemned.
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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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI