"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"There is simply no comparison between a man who is armed and one who is not. It is simply unreasonable to expect that an armed man should obey one who is unarmed, or that an unarmed man should remain safe and secure when his servants are armed."
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Source: Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.12, Knickerbocker Classics
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