"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"A prudent man... must behave like those archers who, if they are skillful, when the target seems too distant, know the capabilities of their bow and aim a good deal higher than their objective, not in order to shoot so high but so that by aiming high they can reach the target."
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Source: Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.12, Knickerbocker Classics
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