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  • Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes   389
  • And it will always happen that he who is not your friend will request your neutrality and he who is your friend will ask you to declare yourself by taking up arms. And irresolute princes, in order to avoid present dangers, follow the neutral road most of the time, and most of the time they are ruined.
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Order Quotes , Neutrality Quotes
  • An armed republic submits less easily to the rule of one of its citizens than a republic armed by foreign forces. Rome and Sparta were for many centuries well armed and free. The Swiss are well armed and enjoy great freedom. Among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible. It is not reasonable to suppose that one who is armed will obey willingly one who is unarmed; or that any unarmed man will remain safe among armed servants.
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Men Quotes , Rome Quotes
  • 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.
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Art Quotes , War Quotes
  • 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.
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Art Quotes , War Quotes
  • A prudent man... must behave like those archers who, if they are skillful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can reach the target.
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Art Quotes , War Quotes
  • 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.
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Revenge Quotes , Men Quotes
  • For as laws are necessary that good manners may be preserved, so there is need of good manner that laws may be maintained. [It., Perche, cosi come i buoni costumi, per mantenersi, hanno bisogno delli leggi; cosi le leggi per ossevarsi, hanno bisogno de' buoni costumi.]
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Law Quotes , Good Man Quotes
  • We must bear in mind, then, that there is nothing more difficult and dangerous, or more doubtful of success, than an attempt to introduce a new order of things in any state. For the innovator has for enemies all those who derived advantages from the old order of things, whilst those who expect to be benefited by the new institutions will be but lukewarm defenders.
  • 5 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Order Quotes , Mind Quotes