He is less likely to be mistaken who looks forward to a change in the affairs of the world than he who regards them as firm and stable.
Francesco GuicciardiniLike other men, I have sought honours and preferment, and often have obtained them beyond my wishes or hopes. Yet never have I found in them that content which I had figured beforehand in my mind. A strong reason, if we well consider it, why we should disencumber ourselves of vain desires.
Francesco GuicciardiniKeep your eye fixed not so much on what they [people] ought in reason to do, as on what they are likely to do based on their disposition and habits.
Francesco Guicciardini