Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes, Art Quotes, War 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.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Art Quotes , War Quotes

the wise man should always follow the roads that have been trodden by the great, and imitate those who have most excelled, so that if he cannot reach their perfection, he may at least acquire something of its savour.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Wise Quotes , Men Quotes

Thus it is well to seem merciful, faithful, humane, sincere, religious, and also to be so; but you must have the mind so disposed that when it is needful to be otherwise you may be able to change to the opposite qualities.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Religious Quotes , Character Quotes

All the armed prophets conquered; all the unarmed ones perished.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Clarity Quotes , Prophet Quotes

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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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Love Quotes , Children Quotes

A blast in the human breast is nothing to boast of.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Blast Quotes , Breasts Quotes

Decide which is the line of conduct that presents the fewest drawbacks and then follow it out as being the best one, because one never finds anything perfectly pure and unmixed, or exempt from danger.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Decision Quotes , Lines Quotes

Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better.

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He who has once begun to live by rapine always finds reasons for taking what is not his.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Reason Quotes

In conclusion, the arms of others either fall from your back, or they weigh you down, or they bind you fast.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Fall Quotes , Arms Quotes

Impetuosity and audacity often achieve what ordinary means fail to achieve.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Mean Quotes , Ordinary Quotes

How laudable it is for a prince to keep good faith and live with integrity, and not with astuteness, every one knows. Still the experience of our times shows those princes to have done great things who have had little regard for good faith, and have been able by astuteness to confuse men's brains, and who have ultimately overcome those who have made loyalty their foundation.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Loyalty Quotes , Art Quotes

I don't doubt that every prince would like to be both; but since it is hard to accomodate these qualities, if you have to make a choice, to be feared is much safer than to be loved. For it is a good general rule about men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, fearful of danger and greedy for gain....[love] is a link of obligation which men, because they are rotten, will break anything they think doing so serves their advantage; but fear involves dread of punishment, from which they can never escape.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Liars Quotes , Love Is Quotes

Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas in antiquity.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , World Quotes , Want Quotes

The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Two Quotes , Together Quotes

Never lead your soldiers to battle if you have not first confirmed their spirit and known them to be without fear and ordered; and never test them except when you see that they hope to win.

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For one change always leaves a dovetail into which another will fit.

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All who contribute to the overthrow of religion, or to the ruin of kingdoms and commonwealths, all who are foes to letters and to the arts which confer honour and benefit on the human race (among whom I reckon the impious, the cruel, the ignorant, the indolent, the base and the worthless), are held in infamy and detestation.

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...the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Believe Quotes , Mankind Quotes

A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.

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Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Greatness Quotes , Men Quotes