The world has always been the same; and there is always as much good fortune as bad in it.

Gold will not always get you good soldiers, but good soldiers can get you gold.

Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul.

...people are by nature fickle, and it is easy to persuade them of something, but difficult to keep them persuaded.

If someone puts up the argument that King Louis gave the Romagna to Pope Alexander, and the kingdom of Naples to Spain, in order to avoid a war, I would answer as I did before: that you should never let things get out of hand in order to avoid war. You don't avoid such a war, you merely postpone it, to your own disadvantage.

Men shrink less from offending one who inspires love than one who inspires fear.

No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.