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  • Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes   389
  • Men in general judge more by the sense of sight than by the sense of touch, because everyone can see but few can test by feeling. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are; and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion.
  • 4 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Men Quotes , Sight Quotes
  • The prince who relies upon their words, without having otherwise provided for his security, is ruined; for friendships that are won by awards, and not by greatness and nobility of soul, although deserved, yet are not real, and cannot be depended upon in time of adversity.
  • 4 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Time Quotes , Real Quotes
  • The reason is that nature has so created men that they are able to desire everything but are not able to attain everything: so that the desire being always greater than the acquisition, there results discontent with the possession and little satisfaction to themselves from it. From this arises the changes in their fortunes; for as men desire, some to have more, some in fear of losing their acquisition, there ensues enmity and war, from which results the ruin of that province and the elevation of another.
  • 4 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Art Quotes , War Quotes
  • And here one must not that hatred is acquired just as much by means of good actions as by bad ones; and so, as I said above, if a prince wishes to maintain the state, he is often obliged not to be good; because whenever that group which you believe you need to support you is corrupted, whether it be the common people, the soldiers, or the nobles, it is to your advantage to follow their inclinations in order to satisfy them; and then good actions are your enemy.
  • 4 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Believe Quotes , Mean Quotes
  • I hold it to be of great prudence for men to abstain from threats and insulting words towards any one, for neither the one nor the other in any way diminishes the strength of the enemy; but the one makes him more cautious, and the other increases his hatred of you, and makes him more persevering in his efforts to injure you
  • 4 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Military Quotes , Men Quotes
  • It should be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to arrange, more doubtful of success, and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes. The innovator makes enemies of all those who prospered under the old order, and only lukewarm support is forthcoming from those who would prosper under the new. Their support is lukewarm ... partly because men are generally incredulous, never really trusting new things unless they have tested them by experience.
  • 4 years ago



    Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Change Quotes , Men Quotes