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The Prince
This book is not a prayer, but a mirror—held up to power. In The Prince, I write not of ideal republics or imaginary kings, but of rulers made of flesh, ruling over men likewise made of ambition, fear, vanity, and hunger. I offer no illusions. I show how power is acquired, held, and lost. I do not tell you how a prince should behave to be called good—I tell you how he must behave to remain in command. You will find here lessons drawn from the lives of Caesars and mercenaries, popes and tyrants, for history is the greatest teacher of statecraft. I speak of arms and laws, virtù and fortune, and when it is better to be feared than loved—a truth most rulers know, but dare not say. Some have called this book wicked. That is only because I refused to lie about politics. I wrote The Prince not to flatter rulers, but to advise them—and to warn the rest. If you wish to understand the machinery of power stripped of poetry, begin here. The world does not run on wishes. It runs on will. — Niccolò Machiavelli "Politics have no relation to morals—only to outcomes."
- Language
- EN
- Genres
- philosophy
- Published
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