Wisdom of Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (May 3, 1469 – June 21, 1527) lived during the Renaissance and was a Florentine diplomat, philosopher, historian, and author. He served as a senior official in the Florentine Republic for many years. He is most known for his political treatise The Prince (Il Principe) and he also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry.

Below we list some words of wisdom from Niccolo Machiavelli.

"It is better to act and repent than not to act and regret."

"The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it."

"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."

"Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are."

"A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one's own ignorance."

"Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy."

"The wise man does at once what the fool does finally."

"Make no small plans for they have no power to stir the soul."

"Men are of three different capacities: one understands intuitively; another understands so far as it is explained; and a third understands neither of himself nor by explanation. The first is excellent, the second, commendable, and the third, altogether useless."

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

"There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you."

"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."

"One should never fall in the belief that you can find someone to pick you up."

"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."

"Ability and perseverance are the weapons of weakness."

"Men are so stupid and concerned with their present needs, they will always let themselves be deceived."

"All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes of ambition and not mistakes of sloth. Develop the strength to do bold things, not the strength to suffer."

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

"Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that they are produced by men who ever have been, and ever shall be, animated by the same passions, and thus they necessarily have the same results."

"Never was anything great achieved without danger."

"There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt."

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

"Appear as you may wish to be."

"There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt."

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

"The end justifies the means."

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