One never finds anything perfectly pure and ... exempt from danger.

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

The unarmed man is not just defenseless - he is also contemptible.

Men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared because love is held together by a chain of obligation which, since men are wretched creatures, is broken on every occasion in which their own interests are concerned; but fear is sustained by dread of punishment which will never abandon you.

No one should therefore fear that he cannot accomplish what others have accomplished, for, men are born, live, and die in quite the same way they always have.

The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.

People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.