Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes

• It never or rarely happens that a republic or monarchy is well constituted, or its old institutions entirely reformed, unless it is only done by one individual.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

• Men are driven by two two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Love

• A son could bear complacently the death of his father while the loss of his inheritance might drive him to despair.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Family

  Tags in Sons

• Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in General, Gain

• States that rise quickly, just as all the other things of nature that are born and grow rapidly, cannot have roots and ramifications; the first bad weather kills them.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Tags in Nations

• A prince must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him, and must protect himself from those that will not lose it for him, if this is possible; but if he cannot, he need not concern h.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Reputation

• Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Town, Expect

• Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Willingness, Difficulties

• We cannot attribute to fortune or virtue that which is achieved without either.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Tags in Achieved, We Cannot

• 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.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Study, Military

• War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Permissible, Arm

• 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.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Prince, Understand

• There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Surer, Sign

• There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in War, Advantage

• 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.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Mistake

  Tags in Their, Admittedly

• The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Prospers, Clash

• The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in New, Will

• The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Necessarily, Every

• Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Two, Together

• Severities should be dealt out all at once, so that their suddenness may give less offense; benefits ought to be handed ought drop by drop, so that they may be relished the more.

  Niccolò Machiavelli

  Tags in Their, Drop

Niccolò Machiavelli (74)

Birth:	3rd May, 1469
Death:	21st June, 1527
Nationality:	Italian
Profession:	Diplomat, Historian, Philosopher, Politician

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Births

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