Never do an enemy a small injury.

The vulgar crowd always is taken by appearances, and the world consists chiefly of the vulgar.

A prince who is not himself wise cannot be wisely advised. . . . Good advice depends on the shrewdness of the prince who seeks it, and not the shrewdness of the prince on good advice.

Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

A prince must be prudent enough to know how to escape the bad reputation of those vices that would lose the state for him, and must protect himself from those that will not lose it for him, if this is possible; but if he cannot, he need not concern himself unduly if he ignores these less serious vices.

It is a common failing of man not to take account of tempests during fair weather.

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