Struggling with distance learning? "Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince Quotes." Just a moment while we sign you in to your Goodreads account. . Be the first to learn about new releases! The Prince Study Guide. Accessed November 26, 2020. https://www.coursehero.com/lit/The-Prince/. Upload them to earn free Course Hero access! Nor I hope will it be considered presumptuous for a man of low and humble status to dare discuss and lay down the law about how princes should rule; because, just as men who are sketching the landscape put themselves down in the plain to study the nature of the mountains and the highlands, and to study the low-lying land they put themselves high on the mountain, so, to comprehend fully the nature of people, one must be a prince, and to comprehend fully the nature of princes one must be an ordinary citizen. From this arises the following question: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. The lion cannot guard himself from the toils, nor the fox from wolves. "The Prince Study Guide." “Never was anything great achieved without danger.” – Niccolo Machiavelli. I reply that one should like to be both one and the other; but since it is difficult to join them together, it is much safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.” — Niccolo Machiavelli, “One can make this generalization about men: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit; while you treat them well, they are yours. The number beside of each website represents its overall rank on the Internet. The answer is that one would like to be both the one and the other; but because it is difficult to combine them, it is far better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both. The ruler must face the choice between being loved by his subjects or feared. A prince must, therefore, never lack advice. “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”, “If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.”, “The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. The Romans did what all wise rulers must: cope not only with present troubles but also with ones likely to arise in the future, and assiduously forestall them. never, to avoid a war, allowed them [their troubles] to go unchecked, because they knew that there is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others. Ideally, he will be both loved and feared, but Machiavelli believes this is nearly impossible. – Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince Rate it: There are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the … Subjects who fear their prince are less likely to harm him than subjects who love their prince. and theme. Perhaps the most famous passage in The Prince, this comes in Chapter 17. STANDS4 LLC, 2020. . One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.' . Italian dramatist, historian, & philosopher (1469 - 1527), Update this biography » The original text plus a side-by-side modern translation of. As such, the prince cannot hope to expand power or protect his interests without knowing how to wage war. The best quotes from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli - organized by theme, including book location and character - with an explanation to help you understand! Wise princes, therefore, have always shunned auxiliaries and made use of their own forces. In Course Hero. Detailed explanations, analysis, and citation info for every important quote on LitCharts. ”, “Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.”, We’d love your help. (including. LitCharts Teacher Editions. Therefore if a prince wants to maintain his rule he must be prepared not to be virtuous, and to make use of this or not according to his need. We can deduce a general rule, which never or rarely fails to apply: that whoever is responsible for another's becoming powerful ruins himself, because this power is brought into being either by ingenuity or by force, and both of these are suspect to the one who has become powerful. Everyone sees what you seem to be, few know what you really are; and those few do not dare take a stand against the general opinion.”, “Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. A wise prince . Quotes from Niccolò Machiavelli's The Prince. Complete biography of Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince ». The only way to safeguard yourself against flatterers is by letting people understand that you are not offended by the truth; but if everyone can speak the truth to you then you lose respect. ', 'If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared. Giving weapons to his subjects will show a prince's trust in them. They have preferred to lose battles with their own forces than win them with others, in the belief that no true victory is possible with alien arms. It should be borne in mind that there is nothing more difficult to handle, more doubtful of success, and more dangerous to carry through than initiating changes in a state's constitution. Niccolò Machiavelli. 22. They're like having in-class notes for every discussion!”, “This is absolutely THE best teacher resource I have ever purchased. . This is because by arming your subjects you arm yourself; those who were suspect become loyal, and those who were loyal not only remain so but are changed from merely being your subjects to being your partisans. So it follows that a prudent ruler cannot, and must not, honor his word when it places him at a disadvantage and when the reasons for which he made his promise no longer exist. Enjoy the best Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes at BrainyQuote. Like “Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. He asserts that a prince cannot rely solely on the traditional understanding of virtues such as liberality, mercy, loyalty, kindness, honesty, and piety. can never depend on his subjects because they . . He must inflict them once for all . The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous. People form judgments about the intelligence of others, especially princes, by those from whom they choose to take advice. Refresh and try again. ”, “…he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived.”, “Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved”, “The vulgar crowd always is taken by appearances, and the world consists chiefly of the vulgar.”, “He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command”, “A man who is used to acting in one way never changes; he must come to ruin when the times, in changing, no longer are in harmony with his ways.”, “A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it.”, “Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.”, “And here comes in the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. One must be a fox in order to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten off wolves. And in the antiquity and persistence of his rule memories of innovations and the reasons for them disappear; because one change always leaves a toothing-stone for the next. The prince must none the less make himself feared in such a way that, if he is not loved, at least he escapes being hated. Indeed, there is no surer way of keeping possession than by devastation. Share with your friends. These websites were ranked using Alexa. . In this case, he strongly believes that a principality without its own army risks all. Print this article Font size -16 + 11 SHARES; Share; Tweet; Comment Now . Teach your students to analyze literature like LitCharts does. Course Hero. I thought it might be interesting to see which right-of-center websites actually receive the most traffic. . . The first opinion that is formed of a ruler's intelligence is based on the quality of the men around him. One can make this generalization about men: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, and deceivers, they shun danger and are greedy for profit. If the ruler wants to keep hold of his new possessions, he must bear two things in mind: first, that the family of the old prince must be destroyed; next, that he must change neither their laws nor their taxes. a prince who is not himself wise cannot be well advised. ...it is a base thing to look to others for your defense instead of depending upon yourself. In order to keep his hold on power and maintain his authority, it is preferable for the ruler to instill fear in people than command affection.