71 Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes on the Decision of Doing Good
Niccolo Machiavelli is a renowned Italian writer known for his candid writing on political philosophy. Commonly referred to as the father of political science, Niccolo was a radical writer whose works and poetry stirred a revolution by pursuing meaningful change in politics. Having served as a diplomat, historian, and philosopher, his writings are drawn from real-life examples and situations he handled. This makes his work relatable, especially to those in power. Through his book titled the prince, Niccolo took a rather interesting stand on how rulers should carry out themselves for the greater good. Some may argue with his approach but agree with him as far as what he aimed to achieve was concerned.
Niccolo pushed for political environments where the end justified the means and urged rulers to go to extreme extents of using all means to achieve a greater good. The Prince is a great read, especially for leaders, as it offers pertinent guidance on ways one can go out of their way to ensure order is achieved. Niccolo believed in taking a stand as far as doing good was concerned and was not afraid to challenge leaders to do the right thing. This has seen him be addressed as the father of modern politics as he challenged the thought of letting things be when leaders had an opportunity to do good. He challenged leaders by quotes such as “I am not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it“, among others that were used in pushing for revolutions.
Table of Contents
- Best Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes
- Machiavelli Quotes on Power
- Quotes from The Prince by Machiavelli
- Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes On Images
- Related Books
Best Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes
- Appear as you may wish to be. Niccolo Machiavelli
- It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil. Niccolo Machiavelli
- The wise man does at once what the fool does finally. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Politics have no relation to morals. Niccolo Machiavelli
- God creates men, but they choose each other. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Ability and perseverance are the weapons of weakness. Niccolo Machiavelli
- It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver. Niccolo Machiavelli
- He who has relied on Fortune less has maintained his position best. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy. Niccolo Machiavelli
- A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one’s own ignorance. Niccolo Machiavelli
- We’re all players in a game. You’re a player or a piece on the board, you move or you’re moved. You play the game or the game plays you. Niccolo Machiavelli
- I’m not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it. Niccolo Machiavelli
- The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present. Niccolo Machiavelli
- War is just when it is necessary; arms are permissible when there is no hope except in arms. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times. Niccolo Machiavelli
- One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Benefits should be conferred gradually; and in that way they will taste better. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Few men are brave by nature, but good discipline and experience make many so. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men are more ready to offend one who desires to be beloved than one who wishes to be feared. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Gold will not always get you good soldiers, but good soldiers can get you gold. Niccolo Machiavelli
- … Men for the most part follow in the footsteps and imitate the actions of others… Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men are more apt to be mistaken in their generalizations than in their particular observations. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Necessity is what impels men to take action, and once necessity is gone, only rot and decay are left. Niccolo Machiavelli
- There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas in antiquity. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Because just as good morals, if they are to be maintained, have need of the laws, so the laws, if they are to be observed, have need of good morals. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Occasionally words must serve to veil the facts. But let this happen in such a way that no one become aware of it; or, if it should be noticed, excuses must be at hand to be produced immediately. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Virtue gives birth to tranquility, tranquility to leisure, leisure to disorder, disorder to ruin…and similarly from ruin, order is born, from order virtue, from virtue, glory and good fortune. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men seldom rise from low condition to high rank without employing either force or fraud, unless that rank should be attained either by gift or inheritance. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men desire novelty to such an extent that those who are doing well wish for a change as much as those who are doing badly. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Great ambition is the passion of a great character. Those endowed with it may perform very good or very bad acts. All depends on the principles which direct them. Niccolo Machiavelli
- I desire to go to Hell and not to Heaven. In the former I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks and apostles. Niccolo Machiavelli
Machiavelli Quotes on Power
- Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong. Niccolo Machiavelli
- How does one use power to do good, when wielding power requires one to do evil? Niccolo Machiavelli
- Nothing can be so uncertain or unstable as fame or power not founded on its own strength. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries – for heavy ones they cannot. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Hence it comes that all armed prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed prophets have been destroyed. Niccolo Machiavelli
- He who causes another to become powerful ruins himself, for he brings such a power into being either by design or by force, and both of these elements are suspects to the one whom he has made powerful. Niccolo Machiavelli
Quotes from The Prince by Machiavelli
- Although crimes may win an empire, they do not win glory. Niccolo Machiavelli
- The best fortress which a prince can possess is the affection of his people. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Everyone sees what you seem to be, but few feel what you are. Niccolo Machiavelli
- It is a common fault not to anticipate storms when the sea is calm. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great. Niccolo Machiavelli
- For one change always leaves a dovetail into which another will fit. Niccolo Machiavelli
- A man is quicker to forget the death of his father than the loss of his patrimony. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Armour belonging to someone else either chops off you or weighs you down or is too tight. Niccolo Machiavelli
- If an injury has to be done to a man, it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved. Niccolo Machiavelli
- One should never fall in the belief that you can find someone to pick you up. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men will not look at things as they really are, but as they wish them to be— and are ruined. Niccolo Machiavelli
- The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Alexander never did what he said, Cesare never said what he did. Niccolo Machiavelli
- The chief foundations of all states, new as well as old or composite, are good laws and good arms. Niccolo Machiavelli
- In politics there are no perfectly safe courses; prudence consists in choosing the least dangerous ones. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer. Niccolo Machiavelli
- For whoever believes that great advancement and new benefits make men forget old injuries is mistaken. Niccolo Machiavelli
- The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Government should be elevated into a living moral force, capable of inspiring the people with a just recognition of the fundamental principles of society; Niccolo Machiavelli
- Therefore, a wise prince must think of a method by which his citizens will need the state and himself at all times and in every circumstance. Then they will always be loyal to him. Niccolo Machiavelli
- There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Nothing consumes itself so much as generosity, because while you practice it you’re losing the wherewithal to go on practicing it. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Minds are of three kinds: one is capable of thinking for itself; another is able to understand the thinking of others; and a third can neither think for itself nor understand the thinking of others. The first is of the highest excellence, the second is excellent, and the third is worthless. Niccolo Machiavelli
- Men are so simple, and governed so absolutely by their present needs, that he who wishes to deceive will never fail in finding willing dupes. Niccolo Machiavelli
- A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it. Niccolo Machiavelli
Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes On Images
Related Books
Please note that we DO NOT EARN a commission for recommending these books.
The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli
The Routledge Guidebook to Machiavelli’s the Prince
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