Quotes About Influence

IT IS customary for such as seek a Prince's favour, to present themselves before him with those things of theirs which they themselves most value, or in which they perceive him chiefly to delight.

the best possible fortress is—not to be hated by the people

question arises: whether it be better to be loved than feared or feared than loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with.

for when religion is once established you may readily bring in arms; but where you have arms without religion it is not easy afterwards to bring in religion. We

A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example.

It is far safer to be feared than loved

Men can assist Fortune but not oppose her; they can weave her schemes but they cannot break them.

One of the best and most efficacious methods for dealing with such a State, is for the Prince who acquires it to go and dwell there in person, since this will tend to make his tenure more secure and lasting.

We're all players in a game. You're a player or a piece on the board, you move or you're moved. You play the game or the game plays you.

he who is the cause of another becoming powerful is ruined because that predominance has been brought about either by astuteness or else by force, and both are distrusted by him who has been raised to power.

These reflections prompt the question: is it better to be loved rather than feared, or vice versa? The answer is that one would prefer to be both but, since they don't go together easily, if you have to choose, it's much safer to be feared than loved. We

Whenever those states, which have been acquired as stated, have been accustomed to live under their own laws and in freedom, there are three courses for those who wish to hold them: the first is to ruin them, the next is to reside there in person, the third is to permit them to live under their own laws, drawing a tribute, and establishing within it an oligarchy which will keep it friendly to you.

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

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

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.

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

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.

And the first cause of your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art.

Men for the most part follow in the footsteps and imitate the actions of others...

Nevertheless, not to extinguish our free will, I hold it to be true that Fortune is the arbiter of one-half of our actions, but that she still leaves us to direct the other half, or perhaps a little less.

In this way you have enemies in all those whom you have injured in seizing that principality, and you are not able to keep those friends who put you there because of your not being able to satisfy them in the way they expected, and you cannot take strong measures against them, feeling bound to them.

He has only to take care that they do not get hold of too much power and too much authority, and then with his own forces, and with their goodwill, he can easily keep down the more powerful of them, so as to remain entirely master in the country.

moral that it is far better to earn the confidence of the people than to rely on fortresses.