“Through error you come to the truth! I am a man because I err! You never reach any truth without making fourteen mistakes and very likely a hundred and fourteen.”
― Crime and Punishment
― Crime and Punishment
“Contradictions do not exist. Whenever you think that you are facing a contradiction, check your premises. You will find that one of them is wrong.”
―
―
“it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”
― The Prince
― The Prince
“Men are so constituted that they derive their conviction of their own possibilities largely from the estimate formed of them by others. If nothing is expected of a people, that people will find it difficult to contradict that expectation.”
―
―
“Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless.”
― The Prince
― The Prince
Political Philosophy and Ethics
— 6439 members
— last activity May 21, 2026 10:07PM
Study and discussion of the important questions of ethical and political philosophy from Confucius and Socrates to the present. Rules (see also the ...more
Rudolph’s 2025 Year in Books
Take a look at Rudolph’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.
More friends…
Favorite Genres
Polls voted on by Rudolph
Lists liked by Rudolph




























