Niccolo Machiavelli

Explore inspiring quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli, a remarkable figure whose words continue to inspire and motivate people around the world.

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men

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war

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love

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Featured Quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli

Some of the most memorable quotes from this author

"No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution."

— Niccolo Machiavellibusiness

"One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others."

— Niccolo Machiavellichange

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

— Niccolo Machiavellichange

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

— Niccolo Machiavellifaith

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

— Niccolo Machiavellifear

"God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us."

— Niccolo Machiavelligod

All Quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli

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"No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

businessView Quote

"One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

changeView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

changeView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

faithView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

fearView Quote

"God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

godView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

goodView Quote

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

goodView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

goodView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

goodView Quote

"Never was anything great achieved without danger."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

greatView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

greatView Quote

"Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

greatView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

hopeView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

intelligenceView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

intelligenceView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

lifeView Quote

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

lifeView Quote

"The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

loveView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

loveView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

menView Quote

"To understand the nature of the people one must be a prince, and to understand the nature of the prince, one must be of the people."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

natureView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

natureView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

peaceView Quote

"Politics have no relation to morals."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

politicsView Quote

"There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

religionView Quote

"Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

societyView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

successView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

successView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

warView Quote

"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."

-Niccolo Machiavelli

warView Quote

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

warView Quote

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Niccolo Machiavelli

Top Categories by Niccolo Machiavelli

men

good

war

great

change

nature

love

life

Featured Quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli

All Quotes by Niccolo Machiavelli

"No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution."

"One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others."

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

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

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

"God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us."

"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."

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."

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

"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."

"Never was anything great achieved without danger."

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

"Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself."

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

"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."

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

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

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."

"The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love."

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

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

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

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

"A return to first principles in a republic is sometimes caused by the simple virtues of one man. His good example has such an influence that the good men strive to imitate him, and the wicked are ashamed to lead a life so contrary to his example."

"Men are so simple and so much inclined to obey immediate needs that a deceiver will never lack victims for his deceptions."

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

"It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"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."

"To understand the nature of the people one must be a prince, and to understand the nature of the prince, one must be of the people."

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

"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."

"Politics have no relation to morals."

"There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt."

"Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society."

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

"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."

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

"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."

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

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