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" The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. "

Niccolo Machiavelli

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" Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot. "

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

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" 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. "

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

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

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" 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. "

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

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" 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 first kind is excellent, the second good, and the third kind useless. "

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" It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both. "

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" For among other evils caused by being disarmed, it renders you contemptible; which is one of those disgraceful things which a prince must guard against. "

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" 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. "

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" There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. "

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" Tardiness often robs us opportunity, and the dispatch of our forces. "

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

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" Men rise from one ambition to another: first, they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others. "

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" Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds. "

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" If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared. "

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" Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil. "

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" 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. "

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" 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. "

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" Politics have no relation to morals. "

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" The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it. "

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" It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver. "

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" 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. "

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" He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command. "

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" A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise. "

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" It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are evil and that they are always going to act according to the wickedness of their spirits whenever they have free scope. "

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" 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. "

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" Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times. "

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" War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms. "

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