"Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them, they take vengeance, whereas if you wound them incurably, they are unable to do so."

"The prince who relies entirely on fortune is ruined when she changes."

"It is a common error among men to believe that the shortest way to conquer a thing is to try to obtain it by force."

"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."

"Men are by nature much more inclined to evil than to good; and therefore, if you would have the good, you must put them under the necessity of being so."