the wise man should always follow the roads that have been trodden by the great, and imitate those who have most excelled, so that if he cannot reach their perfection, he may at least acquire something of its savour.
Niccolo MachiavelliHe who has once begun to live by rapine always finds reasons for taking what is not his.
Niccolo MachiavelliThe more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.
Niccolo MachiavelliThe fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous.
Niccolo MachiavelliWell used are those cruelties (if it is permitted to speak well of evil) that are carried out in a single stroke, done out of necessity to protect oneself, and are not continued but are instead converted into the greatest possible benefits for the subjects. Badly used are those cruelties which. although being few at the outset, grow with the passing time instead of disappearing. Those who follow the first method can remedy their condition with God and with men; the others cannot possibly survive.
Niccolo Machiavelli