"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"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"
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Source: Niccolo Machiavelli (2015). “The Prince”, p.21, Booklassic
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