Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.

Wise men say, and not without reason, that whosoever wished to foresee the future might consult the past.

For one change always leaves a dovetail into which another will fit.

Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.

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

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

Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations.