The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.
Author
Niccolo Machiavelli
42 quotations
About Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat, author, philosopher, and historian who lived during the Italian Renaissance. He is best known for his political treatise The Prince, written around 1513 but not published until 1532, five years after his death. He has often been called the father of modern political philosophy and political science.
Read on Wikipedia → Find books by Niccolo MachiavelliThe first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others. This firs…
War is just when it is necessary arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms.
Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
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…
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Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil.
A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ash…
There are three kinds of intelligence: one kind understands things for itself, the other appreciates what others can understand, the third understands neither for itself nor through others. This firs…
God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.
Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.
A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.
One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others.
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.