A prince must not have any objective nor any thought, nor take up any art, other than the art of war and its ordering and discipline; because it is the only art that pertains to him who commands. And it is of such virtue that not only does it maintain those who were born princes, but many times makes men rise to that rank from private station.
Niccolo MachiavelliHe who is the cause of another's advancement is thereby the cause of his own ruin.
Niccolo MachiavelliNevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant. From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved.
Niccolo MachiavelliIt is just as difficult and dangerous to try to free a people that wants to remain servile as it is to enslave a people that wants to remain free.
Niccolo Machiavelli