Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.
Niccolo Machiavelli

God, Everything, Free

Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Men, Done, Cannot

The wish to acquire more is admittedly a very natural and common thing; and when men succeed in this they are always praised rather than condemned. But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Men, Mistakes, Wish

There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
Niccolo Machiavelli

War, Others, Advantage

Men are so simple and yield so readily to the desires of the moment that he who will trick will always find another who will suffer to be tricked.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Men, Simple, Find

One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Find, Themselves, Deceived

There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Religion, Country, Sign

A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Father, May, Him

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

Society, Far, Dangerous

One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Change, Others, Open

Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
Niccolo Machiavelli

May, Greedy, General

The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Love, Crazy, Children

The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Good, Cannot, State

The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Fact, Act, Wants

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
Niccolo Machiavelli

A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Faith, Wise, Keep

Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Destroyed, Armed, Victorious

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Men, Love, Fear

The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Past, Broken, Word

War should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Peace, War, Him

Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Great, May, Free

Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Together, Two, Difficult

The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Times, Whose, Policy

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.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Nature, Understand, Prince

Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better.
Niccolo Machiavelli

Taste, Benefits, Conferred

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Biography

Nationality: Italian

Type: Writer

Born: May 3, 1469

Died: June 21, 1527

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