He who blinded by ambition, raises himself to a position whence he cannot mount higher, must thereafter fall with the greatest loss.

How perilous it is to free a people who prefer slavery.

A wise prince then...should never be idle in times of peace but should industriously lay up stores of which to avail himself in times of adversity so that when fortune abandons him he may be prepared to resist her blows.

A government which does not trust its citizens to be armed is not itself to be trusted.

When settling disputes between his subjects, he should ensure that his judgement is irrevocable; and he should be so regarded that no one ever dreams of trying to deceive or trick him.

It may be observed, that provinces amid the vicissitudes to which they are subject, pass from order into confusion, and afterward recur to a state of order again; for the nature of mundane affairs not allowing them to continue in an even course, when they have arrived at their greatest perfection, they soon begin to decline.

In conclusion, the arms of others either fall from your back, or they weigh you down, or they bind you fast.