Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Change Conduct Constant Desire Must Success Time
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
The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Cleaner Escape Hourglass More Sand Through
A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Break Lack Legitimate Neck Prince Promise
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Difficult Great Willingness
Tardiness often robs us opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Dispatch Force Ofen Opportunity Rob Tardiness
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Around Estimate First Him Intelligence Look Men Method Ruler
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
The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Broken Give Necessity Past Present Promise Work
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.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Must Nature People Prince Understand
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
I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Interest Overthrow Preserve Status
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
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
This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Excellent First Good Kind Second Third Useless
Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Ambition Another Attack Men Other Secure Seek Themselves
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
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
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
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
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
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
Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Deception Immediate Incline Lack Men Obey Simple Victim
But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Ability Aquire Condemnation Cost Deserve Mistake More
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Achievement Anything Danger Great never Without
It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Better Both Fear Love One
There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.
NICCOLO MACHIAVELLI

Conduct Difficult Introduce More New Order Success Thing Uncertain

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