Quotes from Niccolo Machiavelli

É necessário a um príncipe saber usar do animal com destreza, dentre todos ele deve escolher a raposa e o leão, pois o leão não pode defender-se de armadilhas, e a raposa é indefesa diante dos lobos; é preciso, pois ser raposa para conhecer as armadilhas e leão para afugentar os lobos - aqueles que simplesmente adotam o leão não entendem do assunto.

One can assess a prince's intelligence by looking at the men with whom he surrounds himself.

The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws where the state is not well armed

hardly any ruler lives so long as to have time to accustom to right methods a city which has long been accustomed to wrong. Wherefore

government should be elevated into a living moral force, capable of inspiring the people with a just recognition of the fundamental principles of society;

It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new.

Just as the observance of divine worship is the cause of the greatness of republics, so the disregard of divine worship is the cause of their ruin, because where fear of God is lacking, that kingdom must either come to ruin or be sustained through fear of a prince who makes up for the shortcomings in its religion.

one should not be deterred from improving his possessions for fear lest they be taken away from him or another from opening up trade for fear of taxes;

He who has relied on Fortune less has maintained his position best.

Nale?y bowiem pamiÄ™ta?, ?e ludzi trzeba albo potraktowa? Å'agodnie albo wygubi?, gdy? mszczÄ… siÄ™ za bÅ'ahe krzywdy, za ci??kie zaÅ› nie mogÄ…. Przeto gdy siÄ™ krzywdzi czÅ'owieka, nale?y czyni? to w ten sposób, aby nie trzeba byÅ'o obawia? siÄ™ zemsty.

Men are more ready to offend one who desires to be beloved than one who wishes to be feared.

Skoro pot??ny cudzoziemiec wkracza do prowincji, natychmiast ??cz? si? z nim wszyscy ci, co s? w niej mniej pot??ni, kierowani zawi?ci? przeciw pot??niejszemu od siebie.

O utrzymaniu podbitych prowincji] Zostawi? im ich wÅ'asne prawa, czerpa? stamtÄ…d pewne dochody i stworzy? wewnÄ…trz rzÄ…d oligarchiczny, który by ci je utrzymaÅ' w przyja?ni.

Sono tanto semplici gli uomini, e tanto ubbidiscono alle necessità presenti, che colui che inganna, troverà sempre chi si lascerà ingannare.

for men change their rulers willingly, hoping to better themselves, and this hope induces them to take up arms against him who rules: wherein they are deceived, because they afterwards find by experience they have gone from bad to worse. This

Men in general are as much affected by what a thing appears to be as by what it is, indeed they are frequently influenced more by appearances than by reality.

As the observance of religious worship is the reason for the greatness of a republic, so the contempt for religious worship is the reason for its ruin.

A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one's own ignorance.

Men ought to attempt everything and fear nothing.

I enter the ancient courts of the men of antiquity where affectionately received by them I pasture on that food that alone is mine and for which I was born, where I am not too timid to speak with them and ask them about the reasons for their actions; and they in their courtesy answer me; and for four hours of time I feel no weariness, I forget every trouble, I do not fear poverty, death does not dismay me; I transfer all of myself into them...

Whoever considers the past and the present will readily observe that all cities and all peoples are and ever have been animated by the same desires and the same passions; so that it is easy, by diligent study of the past, to foresee what is likely to happen in the future in any republic, and to apply those remedies that were used by the ancients, or, not finding any that were employed by them, to devise new ones from the similarity of the events.

T]he Romans, observing troubles from afar, always found remedies for them and never allowed them to develop in order to avoid a war, for they knew that war does not go away, but is merely deferred to the advantage of others.

in all cities, these two distinct parties are found, and from this it arises that the people do not wish to be ruled nor oppressed by the nobles, and the nobles wish to rule and oppress the people; and from these two opposite desires there arises in cities one of three results, either a principality, self-government, or anarchy. A

although crimes may win an empire, they do not win glory.