Quotes About Strategy

Nè creda mai alcuno Stato poter pigliare partiti sicuri; anzi pensi d'avere a prenderli tutti dubbi; perchè si trova questo nell'ordine delle cose, che mai si cerca fuggire uno inconveniente, che non s'incorra in un altro: ma la prudenza consiste in saper cognoscere la qualità degli inconvenienti, e prendere il manco tristo per buono.

Por ello, todo príncipe prudente ha desechado estas tropas y se ha refugiado en las propias, y ha preferido perder con las suyas a vencer con las otras, considerando que no es victoria verdadera la que se obtiene con armas ajenas.

Since any one who would act up to a perfect standard of goodness in everything, must be ruined among so many who are not good. It is essential, therefore, for a Prince who desires to maintain his position, to have learned how to be other than good, and to use or not to use his goodness as necessity requires.

A man who becomes prince with the help of the nobles finds it more difficult to maintain his position than one who does so with the help of the people.

Those princes who have done great things … in the end have overcome those who relied on their word.

This, I believe, arises firstly from causes that have already been discussed at length, namely, that the prince who relies entirely on fortune is lost when it changes.

and that to appear to have them is useful; to appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright, and to be so, but with a mind so framed that should you require not to be so, you may be able and know how to change to the opposite.

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.

Thus, it is well to seem merciful, faithful, humane, religious, and upright, and also to be so; but the mind should remain so balanced that were it needful not to be so, you should be able and know how to change to the contrary.

A wise prince, when he has the opportunity, ought with craft to foster some animosity against himself, so that, having crushed it, his renown may rise higher.

With us there is great justice, because that war is just which is necessary, and arms are hallowed when there is no other hope but in them.

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

His actions have arisen in such a way, one out of the other, that men have never been given time to work steadily against him.

For I do not believe that divisions purposely caused can ever lead to good; on the contrary, when an enemy approaches, divided cities are lost at once, for the weaker faction will always side with the invader, and the other will not be able to stand alone.

The actions of a new prince are more narrowly observed than those of an hereditary one.

Two men working differently bring about the same effect; and of two men working similarly, one attains his object and the other does not.

Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to feared than loved.

mantenendosi loro le condizioni vecchie e non vi essendo disformità di costumi, li uomini si vivono quietamente; come s'è visto che ha fatto la Borgogna, la Brettagna, la Guascogna e la Normandia, che tanto tempo sono state con Francia;

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

Before all else, be armed.

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

Çünkü gerçekten sahiplenebilmek için yak?p y?kmaktan baÅŸka bir çare de yoktur. Ve özgürce yaÅŸamaya al???k bir kenti ele geçiren biri eÄŸer o kenti yak?p y?kmazsa, kendisi o kent taraf?ndan yak?l?p y?k?lmay? bekliyor demektir.

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

Porque las ofensas deben inferirse de una sola vez para que, durando menos, hieran menos; mientras que los beneficios deben proporcionarse poco a poco, a fin de que se saboreen mejor.