Niccolo Machiavelli

Political Philosopher, Historian

Niccolo Machiavelli was a Renaissance political philosopher known for his work 'The Prince,' which explores power dynamics and statecraft.

Born
May 3, 1469
Died
June 22, 1527
Quotes
389
Rank
#91

Quote collection

Niccolo Machiavelli quotes (page 6 of 20)

389 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.

Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. And, on the contrary, it is seen that when princes have thought more of ease than of arms they have lost their states. And the first cause of your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art."

Read quote 25 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"Impetuosity and audacity often achieve what ordinary means fail to achieve."

Read quote 24 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"If the chief party, whether it be the people, or the army, or the nobility, which you think most useful and of most consequence to you for the conservation of your dignity, be corrupt, you must follow their humor and indulge them, and in that case honesty and virtue are pernicious."

Read quote 24 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"The Romans never allowed a trouble spot to remain simply to avoid going to war over it, because they knew that wars don't just go away, they are only postponed to someone else's advantage. Therefore, they made war with Philip and Antiochus in Greece, in order not to have to fight them in Italy... They never went by that saying which you constantly hear from the wiseacres of our day, that time heals all things. They trusted rather their own character and prudence- knowing perfectly well that time contains the seeds of all things, good as well as bad."

Read quote 24 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present."

Read quote 23 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"Appear as you may wish to be"

Read quote 22 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"For government consists in nothing else but so controlling subjects that they shall neither be able to, nor have cause to do [it] harm."

Read quote 22 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"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."

Read quote 22 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"One can make this generalization about men: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well, they are yours. They would shed their blood for you, risk their property, their lives, their children, so long, as I said above, as danger is remote; but when you are in danger they turn against you."

Read quote 21 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us."

Read quote 21 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"A wise prince then...should never be idle in times of peace but should industriously lay up stores of which to avail himself in times of adversity so that when fortune abandons him he may be prepared to resist her blows."

Read quote 20 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"When neither their property nor their honor is touched, the majority of men live content."

Read quote 20 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"For, besides what has been said, it should be borne in mind that the temper of the multitude is fickle, and that while it is easy to persuade them of a thing, it is hard to fix them in that persuasion"

Read quote 20 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations."

Read quote 20 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"It is a true observation of ancient writers, that as men are apt to be cast down by adversity, so they, are easily satiated with prosperity, and that joy and grief produce the same effects. For whenever men are not obliged by necessity to fight they fight from ambition, which is so powerful a passion in the human breast that however high we reach we are never satisfied."

Read quote 20 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"When you disarm your subjects, however, you offend them by showing that either from cowardliness or lack of faith, you distrust them; and either conclusion will induce them to hate you."

Read quote 19 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"A battle that you win cancels any other bad action of yours. In the same way, by losing one, all the good things worked by you before become vain."

Read quote 19 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"Princes should delegate to others the enactment of unpopular measures and keep in their own hands the means of winning favours."

Read quote 19 likes
Niccolo Machiavelli Political Philosopher, Historian
Popular

"Men seldom rise from low condition to high rank without employing either force or fraud, unless that rank should be attained either by gift or inheritance."

Read quote 19 likes