Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelliwas an Italian Renaissance historian, politician, diplomat, philosopher, humanist, and writer. He has often been called the founder of modern political science. He was for many years a senior official in the Florentine Republic, with responsibilities in diplomatic and military affairs. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. He was secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when...
NationalityItalian
ProfessionPhilosopher
Date of Birth3 May 1469
CityFlorence, Italy
CountryItaly
Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others.
Change has no constituency.
Human beings remain constant in their methods of conduct.
Men are more ready to offend one who desires to be beloved than one who wishes to be feared.
War brings out thieves and peace hangs them.
To keep your actions and your plans secret always has been a very good thing . .. Marcus Crassus said to one who asked him when he was going to move the army: 'Do you believe that you will be the only one not to hear the trumpet?
The peasant wants only to be left alone to prosper in peace.
He who has once begun to live by rapine always finds reasons for taking what is not his.
(A ruler) cannot and should not keep his word when to do so would go against his interests or when the reason he pledged it no longer holds.
There are three kinds of brains. The one understands things unassisted, the other understands things when shown by others, the third understands neither alone nor with the explanations of others.
Men ought either to be well treated, or crushed.
Delusion gives you more happiness than truth gives to me. For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer.
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.
So in all human affairs one notices, if one examines them closely, that it is impossible to remove one inconvenience without another emerging.