“It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope.”
Men
“It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.”
MenAll Quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli
“A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.”
Faith“Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.”
Society“War is just when it is necessary arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.”
Hope“The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.”
Life“Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.”
Men“War should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.”
Peace“Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil.”
Good“There is no avoiding war it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.”
War“Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.”
Fear“Never was anything great achieved without danger.”
Great“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.”
Success“Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.”
Great“There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.”
Religion“There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others. This first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless.”
Good“It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles.”
Men“The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow.”
Good“The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.”
Intelligence“Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.”
Men“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.”
Nature