"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"One of the great secrets of the day is to know how to take possession of popular prejudices and passions, in such a way as to introduce a confusion of principles which makes impossible all understanding between those who speak the same language and have the same interests."
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Source: Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.55, Knickerbocker Classics
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