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A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.

Niccolo Machiavelli

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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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Among Fact Man Necessarily Some Virtuous
If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Done Fear Injury Man Severe Use Vengence
This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Excellent First Good Kind Second Third Useless
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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Adapt Clash Demand Likewise One Policy Time
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

Commerce Confidence Cowardice Distrust Either Hatred Offend People Show
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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Acquire Admitted Common Condemned More Nature Praise Succeed Wish
There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Contempt Country Decay Religion See Sign Sure
A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Against Do Faith Interest Keep Out Ruler Wise
War 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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Breath Constant Execute Executem Furnish Leisure Military Peace Plan Prince War Study
Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries – for heavy ones they cannot.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Destroy Generous heavy Injury Men One Revenge Sight
Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Benefit Better Conferred Gradually Taste Way
It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Deceive Deceiver Double Pressure
Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Fear Inspire Men Offend Shrink
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Conceal Enemy Enterprise Execution Likely More No Ripe
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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Ancient Composite Foundation Good Inevitable Law Man State Time
It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Act Arrange Free Law Lay Men Necessity Presupoose Scope State Wickedness
Politics have no relation to morals.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Moral Politics Relation
The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Adult Childhood Crazy Distinction Ego Fell Individual Love One Probably Purpose Some Useful
Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Commit Conquer Demolish Error Except Great Ruin Town
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Achievement Anything Danger Great never Without
War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Arm Except Hope Necessary Premise War
Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

All Aspire Breast Element Four Frame Mind Nature Regiment Teach
Severities should be dealt out all at once, so that their suddenness may give less offense.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

All Detail Less Offense Once Severities Suddenness
We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Archive Attribute Either Fortune Virtue
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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Destry Injure Men Merely Offend Ought Retailable Unable Vengeance
For among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible; which is one of those disgraceful things which a prince must guard against.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Among Cause Contemptible Disarmed Disgraceful Ebit Guard Other Prince Render Thing
A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

First Man Principle Republic Return Simple Sometimes

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