Like 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 GuicciardiniIf you attempt certain things at the right time, they are easy to accomplish - in fact, they almost get done by themselves. If you undertake them before the time is right, not only will they fail, but they will often become impossible to accomplish even when the time would have been right.
Francesco GuicciardiniIt is a great matter to be in authority over others; for authority, if it be rightly used, will make you feared beyond your actual resources.
Francesco GuicciardiniWaste no time with revolutions that do not remove the causes of your complaints but simply change the faces of those in charge.
Francesco Guicciardini