46 quotes
Discipline in war counts more than fury.
The Art of War (1520)
Anyone who studies present and ancient affairs will easily see how in all cities and all peoples there still exist, and have always existed, the same desires and passions.
Discourses on Livy (1517)
Cunning and deceit will every time serve a man better than force to rise from a base condition to great fortune.
Discourses on Livy (1517)
Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.
Florentine Histories (1526)
Fear of evil is greater than the evil itself.
The Mandrake (1524)
The reason is easy to understand, for it is the common good and not private gain that makes cities great.
Discourses on Livy (1517)
For war is made on a commonwealth for two reasons: to subjugate it, and for fear of being subjugated by it.
Discourses on Livy (1517)
That which is good for the enemy harms you, and that which is good for you harms the enemy.
The Art of War (1520)
No circumstance is ever so desperate that one cannot nurture some spark of hope.
The Mandrake (1524)
One must never forget to look at the aim of a matter.
The Mandrake (1524)
In the land of the blind the one-eyed man is lord.
The Mandrake (1524)
Bad company will lead a man to the gallows!
The Mandrake (1524)
A son could bear with great complacency, the death of his father, while the loss of his inheritance might drive him to despair.
There should be many judges, for few will always do the will of few.
It is not titles that make men illustrious, but men who make titles illustrious.
Discourses on Livy (1517)
The end of the republic is to enervate and to weaken all other bodies so as to increase its own body.
Discourses on Livy (1517)
Men are so imprudent that they take up a diet which, though it tastes sweet, is poisonous.
The Prince (1532)
There can be no proper relation between one who is armed and one who is not.
Men never do good unless necessity drives them to it; but when they are free to choose and can do just as they please, confusion and disorder become rampant.
Discourses on Livy (1517)
It is enough to ask somebody for his weapons without saying 'I want to kill you with them', because when you have his weapons in hand, you can satisfy your desire.
Discourses on Livy (1517)