Quotes About Rulership

Government is an association of men who do violence to the rest of us.

There are always a few sad souls who want to be king.

autocríticos y demasiado blandos hacia los pueblos que habían subyugado: Hay ingleses que se reprochan haber gobernado mal el país. ¿Por qué? Porque los indios no muestran entusiasmo por su dominio. Afirmo que los ingleses han gobernado la India muy bien, pero que su error ha sido esperar entusiasmo del pueblo que gobiernan.

From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be answered that we should wish to be both: but since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved.

It's better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both.

For that reason, let a prince have the credit of conquering and holding his state, the means will always be considered honest, and he will be praised by everybody because the vulgar are always taken by what a thing seems to be and by what comes of it; and in the world there are only the vulgar, for the few find a place there only when the many have no ground to rest on.

Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.

He, therefore, who acquires such a State, if he mean to keep it, must see to two things; first, that the blood of the ancient line of Princes be destroyed; second, that no change be made in respect of laws or taxes; for in this way the newly acquired State speedily becomes incorporated with the hereditary.

There are many who think a wise prince ought, when he has the chance, to foment astutely some enmity, so that by suppressing it he will augment his greatness.

Just as artists who draw landscapes get down in the valley to study the mountains and go up to the mountains to look down on the valley, so one has to be a prince to get to know the character of a people and a man of the people to know the character of a prince.

one would like to be both [loved and feared], but as it is difficult to combine both love and fear, if one has to choose between them it is far safer to be feared than loved

I say that every prince ought to desire to be considered clement and not cruel. Nevertheless he ought to take care not to misuse this clemency.

A Prince should esteem the great, but must not make himself odious to the people.

When Princes devote themselves rather to pleasure than to arms, they lose their dominions.

I say then that such a principality is obtained either by the favour of the people or by the favour of the nobles. Because 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.

therefore, who acquires such a State, if he mean to keep it, must see to two things; first, that the blood of the ancient line of Princes be destroyed; second, that no change be made in respect of laws or taxes; for in this way the newly acquired State speedily becomes incorporated with the hereditary.

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

men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot;

To understand the nature of the people one must be a prince, and to understand the nature of the prince, one must be of the people

Without doubt, princes become great when they overcome difficulties and hurdles put in their path. When fortune wants to advance a new prince... She creates enemies for him, making them launch campaigns against him so that he is compelled to overcome them and climb higher on the ladder that they have brought him. Therefore, many judge that a wise prince must skillfully fan some enmity whenever the opportunity arises, so that in crushing it he will increase his standing.

E fu di tanta virtù, etiam in privata fortuna, che chi ne scrive, dice: quod nihil illi deerat ad regnandum praeter regnum.

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.

It is necessary', he writes, for a prince to learn 'how not to be good' (Ch. XV). Machiavelli's wording on this matter is extremely precise: a man who wants 'to profess goodness at all times' will inevitably fail because he is surrounded by many unscrupulous men. Hence, 'it is necessary for a prince who wishes to maintain himself to learn how not to be good, and to use this knowledge or not to use it according to necessity' (Ch. XV).

Porque así como aquellos que dibujan se colocan abajo, en el llano, para considerar la naturaleza de los montes y de los lugares elevados y, para considerar la de los bajos, se colocan en lo alto, sobre los montes, igualmente para conocer bien la naturaleza de los pueblos, es necesario ser príncipe, y para conocer bien la de los príncipes, es necesario ser del pueblo.