"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."
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Source: Niccolo Machiavelli (2017). “The Prince”, p.222, Race Point Publishing
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