Quotes About Ambition

Bien sûr, on ne peut nommer valeur le fait de tuer les citoyens de sa patrie, de trahir ses amis, d'être parjure, impitoyable et impie ; ces manières de faire peuvent donner du pouvoir, mais non de la gloire.

Bisognava che Ciro trovassi e' Persi malcontenti dello imperio de' Medi, e li Medi molli et effeminati per la lunga pace.

Quelli li quali per vie virtuose, simili a costoro, diventono principi, acquistono el principato con difficultà, ma con facilità lo tengano;

Dove c'è una grande volontà non possono esserci grandi difficoltà.

Ma, per venire a quelli che per propria virtù e non per fortuna sono diventati principi, dico che li più eccellenti sono Moisè, Ciro, Romulo, Teseo e simili.

Let him act like the clever archers who, designing to hit the mark which yet appears too far distant, and knowing the limits to which the strength of their bow attains, take aim much higher than the mark, not to reach by their strength or arrow to so great a height, but to be able with the aid of so high an aim to hit the mark they wish to reach.

For these reasons Louis the Twelfth, King of France, quickly occupied Milan, and as quickly lost it; and to turn him out the first time it only needed Lodovico's own forces; because those who had opened the gates to him, finding themselves deceived in their hopes of future benefit, would not endure the ill-treatment of the new prince.

it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank.

En nuestros tiempos sólo hemos visto hacer grandes cosas a los hombres considerados tacaños; los demás siempre han fracasado.

es que el que ayuda a otro a hacerse poderoso provoca su propia ruina.

He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must fall with the greatest loss

Quien propicia que otro se vuelva poderoso obra su propia ruina.

Machiavelli was no facile phrasemonger; the conditions under which he wrote

Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.

wish to acquire is in truth very natural and common, and men always do so when they can, and for this they will be praised not blamed; but when they cannot do so, yet wish to do so by any means, then there is folly and blame.

The Prince before its first legal publication in English in 1640

I certainly think that it is better to be impetuous than cautious, for fortune is a woman, and it is necessary if you wish to master her, to conquer her.

príncipe cuyo gobierno descanse en soldados mercenarios no estará nunca seguro ni tranquilo, porque están desunidos, porque son ambiciosos, desleales, valientes entre los amigos, pero cobardes cuando se encuentran frente a los enemigos; porque no tienen disciplina, como tienen temor de Dios ni buena fe con los hombres; de modo que no se difiere la ruina sino mientras se difiere la ruptura; y

Francisco Sforza tuvo siempre por adversario a los Bracceschi, y se vigilaron mutuamente; al fin, Francisco volvió sus miras hacia la Lombardía, y Braccio hacia la Iglesia y el reino de Nápoles.

It is better to be bold than too circumspect, because fortune is of a sex which likes not a tardy wooer and repulses all who are not ardent.

Podobnie czyni? dobrzy ?ucznicy. Ci, widz?c bardzo odleg?y cel, a znaj?c si?? rzutu swego ?uku, mierz? nieco wy?ej, nie po to, aby dosi?gn?? strza?a tej wysoko?ci, lecz aby mierz?c wy?ej, trafi? do celu

He had all the attributes of a king except a kingdom.

Niccolò Machiavelli

In a letter to Francesco Vettori of 18 March 1513, Niccolò gives us a vivid summary of his youth: 'I was born in poverty, and at an early age learned how to script rather than to thrive.' 1