One man should not be afraid of improving his posessions, lest they be taken away from him, or another deterred by high taxes from starting a new business. Rather, the Prince should be ready to reward men who want to do these things and those who endeavour in any way to increase the prosperity of their city or their state.

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

Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not to suffer.

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

Ability and perseverance are the weapons of weakness.

The end of the republic is to enervate and to weaken all other bodies so as to increase its own body.

If you only notice human proceedings, you may observe that all who attain great power and riches, make use of either force or fraud; and what they have acquired either by deceit or violence, in order to conceal the disgraceful methods of attainment, they endeavor to sanctify with the false title of honest gains.