(Machiavelli, Italian. Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli; 1469 - 1527) - Italian thinker, philosopher, writer, politician.
After death, I want to go to hell, not heaven. There I can enjoy the company of popes, kings and dukes, while heaven is inhabited only by beggars, monks and apostles.
Wars are started when they want, but they end when they can.
Whoever wants to live in peace must prepare for war.
Whoever has a good army will find good allies.
Disorder must not be condoned in order to avoid war, for war cannot be avoided, and one will lose the advantage in it.
Weapons should be resorted to last, when other means prove insufficient.
The enemy can be fought in two ways: firstly, by laws, and secondly, by force. The first way is inherent in man, the second - in the beast.
The worst thing in life is not worries, not illnesses, not poverty, not grief - but boredom.
Ordinary people cannot stand freedom, they fear it more than death, and, having committed a crime, fall under the burden of repentance. Only a hero, the chosen one of fate, has the power to endure freedom - he crosses the law without fear, without remorse, remaining innocent in evil, like animals and gods.
Deeds that are objectionable to subjects, sovereigns should assign to others, and pleasing - to perform themselves.
The ruler's mind is first judged by the kind of people he brings closer to himself.
Every change paves the way for other changes.
Minds are of three kinds: one comprehends everything himself; the other can understand what the first has comprehended; the third - he himself does not comprehend anything and cannot understand what is comprehended by others.
People, believing that the new ruler will be better, willingly rebel against the old one, but soon they are convinced by experience that they were deceived, because the new ruler always turns out to be worse than the old one.
People generally judge more by appearance than by content. Everyone has eyes, but few have the gift of discernment.
People are the enemy of any embarrassing enterprise.
People are least afraid of offending the one who inspires them with love than the one who inspires them with fear.
As soon as people stop fighting, compelled to fight by necessity, they immediately begin to fight, prompted to do so by ambition.
People take revenge only for small and medium offenses, while great ones take away their strength for revenge.
People do not know how to be either worthily criminal or perfectly good; villainy has a certain grandeur, or is in some measure a manifestation of the breadth of the soul, to which they are not able to rise.
People by nature are such that they are no less attached to those whom they have done good themselves than to those who have done good to them.
Most people are content with life as long as their honor and property are not hurt.
People are so simple-minded and so preoccupied with immediate needs that a deceiver will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.
From the time when people believed that for the sake of bliss in heaven they must endure all unrighteousness on earth, a great and safe field has opened up for the wicked.
People are always bad until they are compelled to do good by necessity.
The foolishness of people is such that they often do not notice the poison inside what looks good.
Fortune is like a woman, and whoever wants to conquer her must argue with her and fight, just as fighting a woman requires beating her and pushing her around.
Fortune belongs to that sex which yields only to strength and repels from itself everyone who does not know how to dare.
It is better to be bold than cautious, because fate is a woman.
Those who relied less on the mercy of fate held on to power longer.
There is no business that would be more difficult to organize, more dangerous to conduct, and more doubtful of success than replacing the old order with a new one.
Ghosts are grander from a distance than up close.
All the armed prophets won, and all the unarmed perished.
Beware of abuse of mercy.
When pronouncing a sentence, one must be guided by philanthropy, prudence and mercy.
Grievances must be applied at once: the less they are tasted, the less harm they cause; but it is good to give good deeds little by little, so that they are tasted as best as possible.
Language is given to man in order to hide his thoughts.
It is better to lose with one's own than to win with others, for that victory is not true, which is won by someone else's weapons.
A politician should not become a slave to his own word.
Returning to the dispute about what is better: to love the sovereign or to be afraid of him, I will say that they love the sovereigns at their own discretion, and they are afraid at the discretion of the sovereigns, therefore it is better for a wise ruler to rely on what depends on him, and not on whom -something else.
The main foundations of the state are good laws and good troops; good laws are powerless where there are no good troops; where there are good troops, good laws are necessary.
The best state is the one whose subjects are having fun and prospering.
When it comes to saving the fatherland, there can be no talk of betrayal and loyalty, of evil and good, of mercy and cruelty - but all means are equal, if only the goal is achieved.
Power based on the people's love for the dictator is weak power, because it depends on the people; power based on the people's fear of the dictator is strong power, because it depends only on the dictator himself.
If the government is interested in corrupting the people, it achieves what it wants by encouraging traitors instead of punishing them.
The basis of power in all states, both inherited and mixed and new, are good laws and a good army.
If it is necessary to inflict an insult on a person, it should be so cruel that there is no need to fear revenge for him.
A wise man should always choose the paths tried by great men and imitate the most remarkable ones, so that if he does not reach their greatness, he will perceive at least some reflection of it.
Human beings are by nature inclined more towards condemnation than towards praise.
Ambition is such a strong human feeling that no matter how high we climb, we are never satisfied.
There is such a difference between how people live and how they ought to live, that he who, because of what is about to happen, loses sight of what is really happening, prepares his own destruction rather than his salvation, for a person who would want to follow in everything one good, would inevitably perish among so many vicious people.
Human life is such that if you do not allow yourself occasionally stupid things, you will die from boredom.
Friendship, which is given for money, and not acquired by the greatness and nobility of the soul, can be bought, but cannot be kept.
Whoever is a good friend, he also has good friends.
Perfect truth almost always seems incredible.
The discovery of new truths has always been and will always be as dangerous as the discovery of new lands.
Love doesn't mix well with fear.
good deeds you can bring on yourself hatred in the same way as bad people.
It is impossible honestly, without prejudice to others, to satisfy the claims of the nobility, but it is possible to satisfy the demands of the people, since the people have a more honest goal than the nobility: the nobility wants to oppress the people, and the people do not want to be oppressed.
Let your fortresses be, but if the people hate you, they will not bring any benefit.
Nothing else exhausts itself more than generosity: in showing it, at the same time you lose the very possibility of showing it and either fall into poverty, arousing contempt, or ruin others, thereby incurring hatred on yourself.
It is most terrible to realize that there are forces, that you could do something, and that you will never do anything - you will die senselessly.
A serious illness is easy to cure at first, but difficult to recognize; when it has intensified, it is easy to recognize, but already difficult to cure.
A reprehensible mistake is made by one who does not take into account his capabilities and strives for conquest at any cost.
Avoiding one trouble, you get into another; however, wisdom consists in this, so that, having weighed all possible troubles, consider the least evil for good.
Everyone sees what you seem to be, few people feel what you are.
He who is not like everyone else is one against everyone, for the world was created for the mob and there is no one in it but the mob.
We know from experience that in our time great things were only possible for those who did not try to keep their word and were able, when necessary, to cheat.
Those who remain neutral face the hatred of the vanquished and the contempt of the victors.
Alien armor is either wide, or cramped, or too bulky.
Delay can turn into anything, because time brings with it both evil and good.
Nothing is so difficult and dangerous, nothing promises such doubtful chances of success, as an attempt to change the order of things.
By wasting someone else's, you add glory to yourself, while by wasting your own, you only harm yourself.
One must first come to terms with the fact that every decision is doubtful, for it is in the order of things that, having avoided one trouble, one will fall into another.
Those whose mode of action corresponds to the peculiarities of the time preserve their well-being, and those whose mode of action does not correspond to their time lose their well-being.
A mercenary army is dangerous by negligence, an allied one by valor and courage.
The villainous form is veiled by grandeur and spiritual breadth, the ability for which the opponents of good unfortunately lack.
So that insults bring less harm - they are caused a lot and often. Charity becomes effective for long years if it is extended in time and space. — Niccolo Machiavelli
Woe be to the one who multiplies the influence of others, which is achieved by force and money. Therefore, stupid service to an idol leads to betrayal, mistrust and execution.
Machiavelli: Not the gold spring of war, but the valiant warriors of fortune. For for metal you will not gain love to the grave and the devotion of soldiers, and brave and skillful warriors will always get gold for themselves.
The true creators of universal royal and republican laws are obliged to eliminate any hope of impunity and firmly restrain human self-interest within certain limits.
Whoever thought with his head and acted with his hands, not relying on luck, ruled the state longer.
Continuation best aphorisms and quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli read on the pages:
Until necessity compels people to do good, they are always bad.
people are always bad until they are compelled to do good by necessity.
Everyone sees what you seem to be, but few feel what you are.
Love and fear will never get along.
The sovereign should have no other thoughts, no other concerns, no other business than war, military regulations and military science, for war is the only duty that the ruler cannot impose on another.
To find out what must happen, it is enough to trace what has been... This comes from the fact that all human deeds are done by people who have had and will always have the same passions and therefore will inevitably have to give the same results.
The power that relies on a mercenary army will never be either strong or durable.
And yet I believe that the onslaught is better than caution, for fortune is a woman, and whoever wants to deal with her should beat her and kick her - she lends herself to such things rather than those who coldly get down to business. Therefore, as a woman, she is a friend of the young, for they are not so circumspect, more courageous, and tame her with greater insolence.
The sovereign must always consult with others, but only when he wants it, and not when others want it; and he must upset anyone who takes it into his head, uninvited, to give him advice.
And yet, in order not to lose free will, I will suggest that perhaps fate disposes of only half of all our affairs, while the other half, or so, it leaves to the people themselves.
War is not a bad thing, if there are glimmers of hope on the armor.
Language and speech help people hide their thoughts.
By what means can I shame people who were born and raised without a sense of honor? Why should they respect me when they don't know me? By what gods and saints shall I make them swear by those they revere or those they blaspheme? I don't know whom they revere, but they blaspheme everyone. Is it even possible to believe the oaths given to the creature they are mocking? How can they, mocking God, respect people?
Of all the animals, let the sovereign become like two: a lion and a fox. The lion is afraid of traps, and the fox is afraid of wolves, therefore, one must be like a fox in order to be able to bypass traps, and a lion in order to scare away wolves.
The masses of the people are wiser and more constant than the sovereign.
Whoever has a good army will find good allies.
You can't believe what you see in a quiet time.
Weapons should be resorted to last - when other means prove insufficient (incorrectly attributed; in fact this quote belongs to Titus Livy)
Indeed, the passion for conquest is a natural and common thing.
For there are three kinds of minds: one comprehends everything by itself; the other can understand what the first has comprehended; the third - he himself does not comprehend anything and cannot understand what is comprehended by others. The first mind is outstanding, the second is significant, the third is unusable.
I would liken fate to a stormy river, which, raging, floods its banks, brings down trees, destroys dwellings, washes and washes the earth: everyone runs away from it, everyone retreats before its pressure, powerless to restrain it. But even so, does this prevent people from taking precautionary measures in calm times, that is, building barriers and dams so that, having overflowed their banks, the river either rushed into the channels, or stopped its unrestrained and dangerous run?
The knowledge of the future through the past is also facilitated by the fact that individual peoples, as can be seen, will retain the same customs for a long time.
deceived into general issues, people are never deceived in private.
Do not believe it when some hypocrite shouts that life is a joy to him, they say. It is more gratifying than living among people, with pigs in a barn cracking slops.
Look your fate in the face, avoid evil, but if you cannot avoid it, endure the retribution that awaits you like a man, do not lose heart, do not relax like a woman.
Deeds that are objectionable to subjects, sovereigns should assign to others, and pleasing - to perform themselves.
The sovereign is not free to choose his people, but is free to choose to know, for his right is to punish and pardon, bring closer and disgrace.
Minds are of three kinds: one comprehends everything himself; the other can understand what the first has comprehended; the third - he himself does not comprehend anything and cannot understand what is comprehended by others.
Wars start when you start them, but they don't stop when you want them to (option: Wars start at your will, but don't stop at your will).
War is sweet to those who have not experienced it.
The most important thing for the sovereign is to behave with his subjects in such a way that no event, either bad or good, forces him to change his treatment of them, because, if a hard time happens, it’s too late to do evil, and it’s useless to do good, because he will be considered forced and will not be thanked for it.
War cannot be avoided, it can only be delayed - to the advantage of your opponent.
Since, by virtue of his nature, a person can neither have virtues alone, nor follow them unswervingly, then a prudent sovereign should avoid those vices that can deprive him of the state, and refrain from the rest to the best of his ability, but no more.
A reprehensible mistake is made by those who do not take into account their capabilities and strive for conquest at any cost.
Human ambition knows no bounds: at first, people seek to protect themselves from insults, and then they themselves are ready to offend their neighbors.
Wars start at will and end at will.
A prudent person who does not know how to become courageous when necessary becomes the cause of his own death.
A sovereign whose city is well fortified, and whose people are not embittered, cannot be attacked.
The people, accustomed to living under the rule of a sovereign, and having become free by chance, retain their freedom with difficulty.
In fact, there is no more effective method to enslave a city than its destruction.
The sovereign does not need to possess all the virtues, but there is a direct need to appear to possess them.
The sovereign, if he wishes to keep his subjects in subjection, must not reckon with accusations of cruelty.
It is better to lose with your own than to win with strangers, because that victory is not true, which is obtained by foreign weapons (we are talking about the expediency of using allied or mercenary troops).
The Lord does not do everything with His own hands, so as not to deprive us of a free mind and part of the well-deserved glory.
People, believing that the new ruler will be better, willingly rebel against the old one, but soon they are convinced by experience that they were deceived, because the new ruler always turns out to be worse than the old one.
If there is no of sound mind, Powers will not be durable, Where change is a mess.
To comprehend the essence of the people, one must be a sovereign, and in order to comprehend the nature of sovereigns, one must belong to the people.
The enemy can be fought in two ways: firstly, by laws, and secondly, by force. The first way is inherent in man, the second - in the beast.
Hide what you say yourself, find out what others say, and you will become a true prince.
States are acquired either by one's own or someone else's weapons, or by the grace of fate, or by valor.
Anyone who thinks that new blessings can make the great ones of this world forget about old grievances is mistaken.
good deeds can incur hatred just as much as bad deeds.
Every change paves the way for other changes.
They love sovereigns at their own discretion, and are afraid - at the discretion of sovereigns, therefore it is better for a wise ruler to rely on what depends on him, and not on someone else.
And you need to know that there is no business whose organization would be more difficult, its conduct more dangerous, and success more doubtful than replacing the old order with a new one.
Here the same thing happens as with consumption: doctors say that in the beginning this disease is difficult to recognize, but easy to cure; if it is running, then it is easy to recognize, but difficult to cure. It is the same in the affairs of the state: if a nascent disease is detected in a timely manner, which is given only to wise rulers, then it is not difficult to get rid of it, but if it is neglected so that everyone can see it, then no drug will help.
Such is human nature that when they see good from someone from whom they expected evil, people become attached to benefactors.
Spending someone else's, you add glory to yourself, while wasting your own, you only harm yourself.
A dispute may arise as to which is better: to be loved by the sovereign or to be feared. They say that it is best when they are afraid and love at the same time; however, love does not get along well with fear, so if you really have to choose, then it is safer to choose fear.
A serious illness is easy to cure at first, but difficult to recognize; when it has intensified, it is easy to recognize, but already difficult to cure.
That war is just, which is necessary, and that weapon is sacred, which is the only hope.
Alien armor is either wide, or cramped, or too bulky.
Human thoughts are always bad, until necessity compels good.
However, in reality, whoever relied less on the mercy of fate, he stayed in power longer.
You need to know that you can fight the enemy in two ways: firstly, by laws, and secondly, by force. The first way is inherent in man, the second - in the beast; but since the former is often insufficient, the latter must also be resorted to.
Friendship, which is given for money, and not acquired by the greatness and nobility of the soul, can be bought, but cannot be kept in order to use it in difficult times.
People should either be caressed or destroyed, because a person can avenge a small evil, but cannot avenge a big one; from which it follows that the offense inflicted on a person must be calculated so as not to be afraid of revenge.
Those who relied less on the mercy of fate held on to power longer.
It is useless for a sovereign who himself does not possess wisdom to give good advice.
Everyone sees what you appear to be, few feel who you really are.
I want to go to hell, not heaven. There I can enjoy the company of popes, kings and dukes, while heaven is inhabited only by beggars, monks and apostles.
People can't be either completely good or completely bad.
The distance between how people live and how they should live is so great that the one who rejects the real for the sake of what is due acts more to his detriment than to his good, since, wanting to confess goodness in all cases of life, he will inevitably perish, encountering many people who are alien to goodness.
The contempt and hatred of his subjects is the very thing that the sovereign should fear most of all.
The mind of a ruler is first judged by what kind of people he brings closer to himself; if these are devoted and capable people, then one can always be sure of his wisdom, for he knew how to recognize their abilities and keep their devotion. If they are not such, then they will conclude accordingly about the sovereign, for he has already committed the first mistake by choosing bad assistants.
Ambition is such a strong human feeling that no matter how high we climb, we are never satisfied.
Only those methods of defense are good, solid and reliable, which depend on yourself and on your valor.
1. People by nature are such that they are no less attached to those whom they have done good themselves than to those who have done good to them.
2. One must first come to terms with the fact that every decision is doubtful, because it is in the order of things that, having avoided one trouble, you get into another.
3. People, believing that the new ruler will be better, willingly rebel against the old, but soon they are convinced by experience that they were deceived, because the new ruler always turns out to be worse than the old one.
4. Beware of abuse of mercy
5. The mind of a ruler is first judged by what kind of people he brings closer to himself.
6. Every change paves the way for other changes.
7. A person who wishes to remain virtuous under all circumstances, can only perish among the multitude of those who are not virtuous.
8. People are so innocent and so absorbed in immediate needs that a deceiver will always find someone who will let himself be fooled.
9. After death, I want to go to hell, not heaven. There I can enjoy the company of popes, kings and dukes, while heaven is inhabited only by beggars, monks and apostles
10. Good deeds can incur hatred in the same way as bad deeds.
11. A reprehensible mistake is made by one who does not take into account his capabilities and strives for conquest at any cost.
12. A person cannot force himself to deviate from the path in which he has consistently succeeded until now.
13. The end justifies the means
14. Having avoided one trouble, you get into another; however, wisdom consists in this, so that after weighing all possible troubles, consider the least evil for the good
15. Whoever wants to live in peace must prepare for war
16. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few feel who you really are.
17. Deeds that are objectionable to subjects, sovereigns should assign to others, and pleasing - to perform themselves
18. Friendship, which is given for money, and not acquired by the greatness and nobility of the soul, can be bought, but cannot be kept.
19. Who does not know the constant discrepancy between what a person seeks and what he finds?
20. He who has a good army will find good allies
21. He who has allies is no longer completely independent.
22. Who relied less on the mercy of fate, he stayed in power longer
23. Disorder must not be condoned for the sake of avoiding war, for you cannot avoid war, but you will lose your advantage in war
24. It is better to lose with one's own than to win with others, for that victory is not true, which is gained by someone else's weapons.
25. People are always bad until they are forced to do good by necessity.
26. People are the enemies of any embarrassing undertakings
27. Love does not get along well with fear.
28. There is nothing more difficult, more dangerous and more uncertain than to lead the introduction of a new order of things, because every innovation has ardent enemies who lived well in the old way, and sluggish supporters who are not sure if they can live in a new way.
29. You should not give advice to anyone and use other people's advice, except general council- rules for everyone - follow the dictates of the soul and act boldly
30. There is no business whose organization would be more difficult, conducting more dangerous, and success more doubtful than replacing the old order with a new one.
31. The foolishness of people is such that they often do not notice the poison inside what looks good
32. The temper of people is fickle, and if it is easy to convert them to your faith, then it is difficult to keep them in it.
33. The mind of a ruler is first of all judged by what kind of people he brings closer to himself.
34. A serious illness at the beginning is easier to cure, but difficult to recognize. When it intensifies, it is easier to recognize, but more difficult to cure.
35. Minds are of three kinds: one comprehends everything by itself; the other can understand what the first has comprehended; the third - he himself does not comprehend anything and cannot understand what is comprehended by others
36. A prudent person who does not know how to become brave, when necessary, becomes the cause of his death.
37. Alien armor is either wide, or cramped, or too bulky
38. In our times it is already obvious that those sovereigns who cared little for piety and knew how to confuse people's brains by cunning won in the end those who relied on their honesty
39. There is no need for a sovereign to possess all the virtues, but there is a direct need to appear to possess them
40. Respect should be given to someone who is generous, not someone who can be generous
41. The temper of people is fickle, and if it is easy to convert them to one's faith, then it is difficult to keep them in it. Therefore, we must be prepared to ensure that when the faith in the people dries up, force them to believe by force.
42. People are such that, seeing good from those from whom evil was expected, they are especially attached to benefactors
43. Only a presumptuous and daring person could undertake to talk about what is exalted and protected by God
44. Whoever shows generosity in order to be known as generous harms himself. For if you exercise it wisely, no one will know about it, and you will still be accused of stinginess.
45. Avarice is one of those vices that allow a sovereign to rule
46. On the path to power, generosity is necessary. Upon reaching power, it is harmful
47. Every sovereign would like to be known as merciful, not cruel, but one should beware of abusing mercy
48. It can be said about people in general that they are fickle, prone to hypocrisy and deceit, that they are scared away by danger and attracted by profit.
49. People are less afraid of offending someone who inspires them with love than one who inspires them with fear.
50. People are more likely to forgive the death of a father than the loss of property.
51. Possessing the virtue of honesty and steadfastly following it is harmful, while looking like one possessing it is beneficial.
52. For the most part, people judge by appearance, for everyone can see, but few can touch with their hands.
53. About the actions of all people, and especially sovereigns, from whom you cannot ask in court, they conclude by the result
54. Sovereigns excite contempt by inconstancy, frivolity, effeminacy, cowardice and indecision. These qualities must be guarded against like fire, trying, on the contrary, in every action to show generosity, fearlessness, solidity and firmness.
55. The main remedy against conspiracies is not to incur the hatred and contempt of subjects and to be pleasing to the people
56. Nothing can inspire such respect for the sovereign as military enterprises and extraordinary deeds.
57. The sovereign is also respected when he openly declares himself an enemy or friend, i.e. when he stands up for one against the other without hesitation - it's always better than standing on the sidelines
58. People are so vain and so deceived at their own expense that they can hardly protect themselves from flatterers.
59. It happens that two people, acting differently, equally achieve success. And it happens that two people act in the same way, but only one of them achieves the goal. It depends on the fact that one mode of action coincides with the characteristics of the time, and the other does not.
60. Fortune is fickle, and a person persists in his course of action, therefore, as long as there is agreement between them, a person is in prosperity, but when there is discord, his well-being comes to an end
61. And yet I believe that the onslaught is better than caution, for Fortune is a woman, and whoever wants to deal with her must prick and kick her - she lends herself to such a thing rather than those who coldly get down to business
62. Therefore, she (fortune), as a woman, is a friend of the young, for they are not so circumspect, more courageous and tame her with more audacity.
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