The forces of adversaries are more diminished by the loss of those who flee than of those who are killed.

A prince is also respected when he is a true friend and a true enemy; that is, when he declares himself on the side of one prince against another without any reservation.

All the armed prophets conquered; all the unarmed ones perished.

It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.

Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony

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.

There is nothing more important than appearing to be religious.