The Prince

you wish to please me, and to bring success and honour to yourself, do right and study, because others will help you if you help yourself."

Men will not look at things as they really are, but as they wish them to be—and are ruined

Men will not look at things as they really are, but as they wish them to be—and are ruined

For he who innovates will have for his enemies all those who are well off under the existing order of things, and only lukewarm supporters in those who might be better off under the new. This lukewarm temper arises partly from the fear of adversaries who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of mankind, who will never admit the merit of anything new, until they have seen it proved by the event.

love is pre­served by the link of ob­lig­a­tion which, ow­ing to the base­ness of men, is broken at

every op­por­tun­ity for their ad­vant­age; but fear pre­serves you by a dread of pun­ish­ment which never fails.

through too much mercy, al­low dis­orders to arise, from which fol­low murders or rob­ber­ies; for these are wont to in­jure the whole people, whilst those ex­e­cu­tions which ori­gin­ate with a prince of­fend the in­di­vidual only.

prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor se­lect any­thing else for his study, than war and its rules and dis­cip­line; for this is the sole art that be­longs to him who rules,

There­fore, if he who rules a prin­cip­al­ity can­not re­cog­nize evils un­til they are upon him, he is not truly wise;

mer­cen­ar­ies