Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes, Wise Quotes, Men 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.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Wise Quotes , Men 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.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , World Quotes , Want Quotes

It is often found that modesty and humility not only do no good, but are positively hurtful, when they are shown to the arrogant who have taken up a prejudice against you, either from envy or from any other cause.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Taken Quotes , Humility Quotes

The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Lions Quotes , Foxes Quotes

Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Peace Quotes , War Quotes

A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Father Quotes , Son Quotes

One can generally say this about men: that they are ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, greedy for gain; and while you work for their good they are completely yours, offering you their blood, their property, their lives, and their sons when danger is far away; but when it comes nearer to you, they turn away.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Philosophical Quotes , Son Quotes

Men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared because love is held together by a chain of obligation which, since men are wretched creatures, is broken on every occasion in which their own interests are concerned; but fear is sustained by dread of punishment which will never abandon you.

5 years ago

Message Copied

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

The best fortress which a prince can possess is the affection of his people.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , War Quotes , People Quotes

Whoever is the cause of another becoming powerful, is ruined himself; for that power is produced by him either through craft or force; and both of these are suspected by the one who has been raised to power.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Powerful Quotes , Crafts Quotes

Since the handling of arms is a beautiful spectacle, it is delightful to young men.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Beautiful Quotes , Art Quotes

In order not to annul our free will, I judge it true that Fortune may be mistress of one half our actions but then even she leaves the other half, or almost, under our control.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Order Quotes , Judging Quotes

Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Wisdom Quotes , Eye Quotes

There is nothing that Nature seems to have inclined us to as much as society.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Society Quotes

You do not know the unfathomable cowardice of humanity...servile in the face of force, pitiless in the face of weakness, implacable before blunders, indulgent before crimes...and patient to the point of martyrdom before all the violences of bold despotism.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Humanity Quotes , Liberty Quotes

No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Business Quotes , War Quotes

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. But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Mistake Quotes , Men Quotes

In the armies and among every ten men there is one of more life, of more heart, or at least of more authority, who with his courage, with words and by example keeps the others firm and disposed to fight.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Art Quotes , War Quotes

He who desires or attempts to reform the government of a state and wishes to have it accepted, must at least retain the semblance of the old forms; so that it may seem to the people that there has been no change in the institutions, even though in fact they are entirely different from the old ones. For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Reality Quotes , Government 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.

5 years ago

Message Copied

Tags : Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes , Love Quotes , Children Quotes