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“Going back, then, to the question of being feared or loved, my conclusion is that since people decide for themselves whether to love a ruler or not, while it’s the ruler who decides whether they’re going to fear him, a sensible man will base his power on what he controls, not on what others have freedom to choose. But he must take care, as I said, that people don’t come to hate him.”
― The Prince
― The Prince
“Remember what doctors tell us about tuberculosis: in its early stages it's easy to cure and hard to diagnose, but if you don't spot it and treat it, as time goes by, it gets easy to diagnose and hard to cure. So it is with affairs of state. See trouble in advance (but you have to be shrewd) and you can clear it up quickly. Miss it, and by the time it's big enough for everyone to see it will be too late to do anything about it.”
― "The Prince (classics illustrated) "
― "The Prince (classics illustrated) "
“A sensible leader must follow this advice and never relax in peacetime but work hard to make the most of it and turn it to his advantage in the though times ahead. That way, when his luck does turn, he'll be ready.”
― "The Prince (classics illustrated) "
― "The Prince (classics illustrated) "
“When people are treated well by someone they thought was hostile they respond with even greater loyalty”
― "The Prince (classics illustrated) "
― "The Prince (classics illustrated) "
“Since a ruler has to be able to act the beast, he should take on the traits of the fox and the lion; the lion can’t defend itself against snares and the fox can’t defend itself from wolves. So you have to play the fox to see the snares and the lion to scare off the wolves. A ruler who just plays the lion and forgets the fox doesn’t know what he’s doing. Hence a sensible leader cannot and must not keep his word if by doing so he puts himself at risk, and if the reasons that made him give his word in the first place are no longer valid. If all men were good, this would be bad advice, but since they are a sad lot and won’t be keeping their promises to you, you hardly need to keep yours to them. Anyway, a ruler will never be short of good reasons to explain away a broken promise. It would be easy to cite any number of examples from modern times to show just how many peace treaties and other commitments have been rendered null and void by rulers not keeping their word. Those best at playing the fox have done better than the others. But you have to know how to disguise your slyness, how to pretend one thing and cover up another. People are so gullible and so caught up with immediate concerns that a con man will always find someone ready to be conned.”
― The Prince
― The Prince
João’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at João’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
137 books
|
4 friends
1,498 books
|
5,001 friends
243 books
|
34 friends
68 books
|
5 friends
20 books
|
3 friends
Favorite Genres
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