"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"And if, to be sure, sometimes you need to conceal a fact with words, do it in such a way that it does not become known, or, if it does become known, that you have a ready and quick defense."
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Source: Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.18, Race Point Publishing
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