The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. – Niccolo Machiavelli
Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries – for heavy ones they cannot. – Niccolo Machiavelli
There is no avoiding war it can only be postponed to the advantage of others. – Niccolo Machiavelli
Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds. – Niccolo Machiavelli
In depression…faith in deliverance, in ultimate restoration, is absent. The pain is unrelenting, and what makes the condition intolerable is the foreknowledge that no rememdy will come, not in a day, an hour, a month, or a minute. It is hopelessness even more than pain that crushes the soul. – William Styron