"So far as he is able, a prince should stick to the path of good but, if the necessity arises, he should know how to follow evil."
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Quote collection
Niccolo Machiavelli quotes (page 15 of 20)
389 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"Hence it comes that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed."
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"Forgiveness proceeds from a generous soul."
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"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."
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"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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"We have not seen great things done in our time except by those who have been considered mean; the rest have failed."
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"Hence it happened that all the armed prophets conquered, all the unarmed perished. [It., Di qui nacque che tutti li profeti armati vincero, e li disarmati rovinarono.]"
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"Men ought either to be well treated, or crushed."
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"Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil."
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"Men as a whole judge more with their eyes than with their hands."
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"Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless."
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"War brings out thieves and peace hangs them."
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"And if such malignity is hidden for a time, it proceeds from the unknown reason that would not be known because the experience of the contrary had not been seen, but time, which is said to be the father of every truth, will cause it to be discovered."
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"Human beings remain constant in their methods of conduct."
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"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."
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"Cruelties should be committed all at once."
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"....it cannot be called ingenuity to kill one's fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; by these means one can aquire power but not glory."
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"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."
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"You must never believe that the enemy does not know how to conduct his own affairs. Indeed, if you want to be deceived less and want to bear less danger, the more the enemy is weak or the less the enemy is cautious, so much more must you esteem him."
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"Good order and discipline in any army are to be depended upon more than courage alone."
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