"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"I am firmly convinced, therefore, that to set up a republic which is to last a long time, the way to set about it is to constitute it as Sparta and Venice were constituted; to place it in a strong position, and so to fortify it that no one will dream of taking it by a sudden assault; and, on the other hand, not to make it so large as to appear formidable to its neighbors. It should in this way be able to enjoy its form of government for a long time. For war is made on a commonwealth for two reasons: to subjugate it, and for fear of being subjugated by it."
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Source: Discourses on Livy by Niccolò Machiavelli, book 1, ch. 3, as translated by LJ Walker and B Crick, 1517.
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