Quotes About Diplomacy

This again results naturally and necessarily from the circumstance that the Prince cannot avoid giving offence to his new subjects, either in respect of the troops he quarters on them, or of some other of the numberless vexations attendant on a new acquisition.

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

to a Prince who wants to do great things, it is necessary to learn to deceive.

O maior remédio utilizado contra os desígnios do inimigo é fazeres voluntariamente aquilo que ele planeja que tu faças à força, porque fazendo-o de forma voluntária, tu o fazes com ordem e para vantagem tua e desvantagem dele; se o fizesses à força, seria então a tua ruína.

You must know, then, that there are two methods of fighting, the one by law, the other by force: the first method is that of men, the second of beasts; but as the first method is often insufficient, one must have recourse to the second. It is therefore necessary to know well how to use both the beast and the man.

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.

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.

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.

He who is not your friend will demand your neutrality.

But when states are acquired in a country differing in language, customs, or laws, there are difficulties, and good fortune and great energy are needed to hold them, and one of the greatest and most real helps would be that he who has acquired them should go and reside there.

For injuries ought to be done all at one time, so that, being tasted less, they offend less; benefits ought to be given little by little, so that the flavour of them may last longer. And

As injúrias devem ser cometidas de uma vez só, de modo que, por sua brevidade, ofendam menos ao paladar; ao passo que os benefícios devem ser feitos aos poucos, para que sejam mais bem saboreados.

comedic playwright.

Severities should be dealt out all at once, so that their suddenness may give less offense; benefits ought to be handed ought drop by drop, so that they may be relished the more.

The truth is that Machiavelli did try to obtain a position from the Medici, but he did not write The Prince in order to win their favour. 3 He was hoping to be offered a new post in recognition of his unquestionable competence in the 'art of the state' and as a reward for his abilities and impeccable honesty, not as a gift in reward for flattery. As he wrote in the famous letter to Francesco Vettori of 10 December 1513:

Those who strive to obtain the good graces of a prince are accustomed to come before him with such things as they hold most precious, or in which they see him take most delight; whence one often sees horses, arms, cloth of gold, precious stones, and similar ornaments presented to princes, worthy of their greatness.

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

Politics have no relation to morals.

Perché le iniurie si debbono fare tutte insieme, acciò che, assaporandosi meno, offendino meno: e' benefizii si debbono fare a poco a poco, acciò che si assaporino meglio.

Ma, quando si acquista stati in una provincia disforme di lingua, di costumi e di ordini, qui sono le difficultà; e qui bisogna avere gran fortuna e grande industria a tenerli; et uno de' maggiori remedii e più vivi sarebbe che la persona di chi acquista vi andassi ad abitare.

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

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;

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.

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