"The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."
"You know better than I that in a Republic talent is always suspect. A man attains an elevated position only when his mediocrity prevents him from being a threat to others. And for this reason a democracy is never governed by the most competent, but rather by those whose insignificance will not jeopardize anyone else's self-esteem."
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Source: Niccolo Machiavelli (2009). “The Essential Writings of Machiavelli”, p.456, Modern Library
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