A son can bear with equanimity the loss of his father, but the loss of his inheritance may drive him to despair.
A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.
When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred.
Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.
There is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others.
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
Politics have no relation to morals
If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.
Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.
There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.
One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.
The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.
He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.
God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.
War should be the only study of a prince. he should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.
The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it.
I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it.
It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both.
The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.
There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things.
A life without love, is no life at all.
No counsel is more trustworthy than that which is given upon ships that are in peril.
To nature, since it is only by chance that they wear the human.