It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.

Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong.

The wish to acquire is in truth very natural and common, and men always do so when they can.but when they cannot do so, yet wish to do so by any means, then there is folly and blame.

Men are so simple and yield so readily to the desires of the moment that he who will trick will always find another who will suffer to be tricked.

A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from snares, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves.

Since it is difficult to join them together, it is safer to be feared than to be loved when one of the two must be lacking.

When you disarm your subjects, however, you offend them by showing that either from cowardliness or lack of faith, you distrust them; and either conclusion will induce them to hate you.