Machiavelli

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

I say that there are three kinds of brains: one that understands things by itself, one that can appreciate what others understand, and one that understands neither by itself nor through others.

A man who is used to acting in one way, cannot change; because he cannot, he is ruined.

It is much safer to be feared than loved.

Men are generally so simple and so ready to obey present necessities, that one who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.

For of men it may generally be affirmed that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, and as long as you succeed they are entirely yours, offering you their blood, their property, their lives, and their sons, as I have before said, when the necessity is remote; but when it approaches nearer to you they turn against you.

A prince, therefore, being compelled knowingly to adopt the beast, ought to choose the fox and the lion; because the lion cannot defend himself against snares and the fox cannot defend himself against wolves. Therefore, it is necessary to be a fox to discover snares and a lion to terrify wolves.

Hence it comes that all armed prophets have conquered and unarmed ones have failed.

Men must either be caressed or annihilated; they will revenge themselves for slight wrongs, but not for great ones.

For it must be noted that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge slight injuries, but not severe ones; hence the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.

If a prince wants to maintain his rule, he must learn how not to be virtuous, and to make use of this or not, according to need.

The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms; and as there cannot be good laws where there are not good arms, and where there are good arms there must be good laws, I will here omit the discussion on laws and speak of arms.

Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them.

For where the very safety of the country depends upon the resolution to be taken, no considerations whatever of justice or injustice, humanity or cruelty, nor of glory or disgrace, should be allowed to prevail. But putting all other considerations aside, the only question should be, what course will save the life and liberty of the country.

He who desires to rule, must be prepared to use fraud and deceit.

One change always leaves the way open for the introduction of another.

God does not want to do everything, so as not to deprive us of our free will and part of the glory that belongs to us.

A prince must have no other object, no other thought, nor take anything else for his art, but war and its orders and discipline; for this is the only art that belongs to him who rules.

The people, when they have a good leader, are not afraid to fight; and if they are not afraid, they are strong.

In the actions of men, and especially of princes, from which there is no appeal, the end justifies the means.