Quotes from Machiavelli

Daniel Silva

Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.

Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.

From this arises the following question: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. The answer is that one would like to be both the one and the other, but because they are difficult to combine, it is far better to be loved than feared if you cannot be both.

Necessity is what impels men to take action, and once necessity is gone, only rot and decay are left

En hij kan het beste te werk gaan zoals bekwame boogschutters, die wanneer ze het doel dat ze willen raken te ver weg achten, omdat ze weten wat de kracht van hun boog is, het mikpunt veel hoger nemen dan het doelwit, niet om met hun pijl zo hoog te komen, maar om met behulp van dat hoge mikpunt hun doel te kunnen bereiken.

Pentru ca viaÈ›a-i scurt?, cu mult? suferin??, È™i f?r? cazn? trai nu-i cu putin?? conduÈ™i de pofte È™i dorinÈ›i noi ne petrecem È™i ne roadem anii; cin` la pl?ceri renun?? doar str?danii g?seÈ™te, chin È™i suferinÈ›i; de-a lumii am?gire acela n-are È™tire, nici de-ntâmpl?ri-i sucite, de orori ce-apas? greu pe-atâÈ›ia muritori. (M?tr?guna)

When neither their property nor their honour is touched the majority of man live content

Ä°nsanlar?n gönlünü hoÅŸ tutmal? ya da onlar? yok etmelidir çünkü insanlar uÄŸrad?klar? küçük zararlar?n öcünü al?rlar büyük zararlar?n öcünü alamazlar bu yüzden insana verilecek zarar intikam korkusu yaratmayacak biçimde olmal?d?r

Bilgi prensler yaln?zca varolan sorunlar? deÄŸil gelecekte ortaya ç?kabilecek sorunlar? da dikkate al?rlar ve her türlü çabay? göstererek bunlar? önlemeye çal???rlar çünkü sorunlar önceden görüldüÄŸünde çareleri kolayca bulunur ama kap?ya dayanmalar?n? beklersen hastal?k art?k iyileÅŸtirilemez hale geldiÄŸi için ilaç çok geç kalm?? olur

Fortune is an impetuous thing that tends to favor the audacious

BaÅŸkas?n?n güçlenmesinin nedeni olan kiÅŸi kendi y?k?m?na yol açar çünkü o güç ya becerinin ya zor kullanman?n sonucudur ve güçlü hale gelmiÅŸ kiÅŸi için bu iki nitelik de kuÅŸkuludur

unutmamak gerekir ki yeni bir düzen getirmeye kalk??maktan daha zor, baÅŸar? olas?l??? daha kuÅŸkulu, yönetilmesi daha tehlikeli bir ÅŸey yoktur; çünkü eski düzenden ç?kar? olan herkes yeni düzeni getirene düÅŸman kesilir, yeni düzenden ç?kar? olabilecek kiÅŸiler ise ancak ?l?ml? birer müttefiktir.

Krall?k etmek için bir krall?k d???nda hiçbir eksiÄŸi yoktu. (Quod nihil illi deerat ad regnandum praeter regnum)

If the chief party, whether it be the people, or the army, or the nobility, which you think most useful and of most consequence to you for the conservation of your dignity, be corrupt, you must follow their humor and indulge them, and in that case honesty and virtue are pernicious.

In an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

Men are of three different capacities: one understands intuitively; another understands so far as it is explained; and a third understands neither of himself nor by explanation. The first is excellent, the second, commendable, and the third, altogether useless.

Men are so simple, and yield so much to necessity, that he who will deceive may always find him that will lend himself to be deceived.

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.