The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him. – 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
Men ought either to be indulged or utterly destroyed, for if you merely offend them they take vengeance, but if you injure them greatly they are unable to retaliate, so that the injury done to a man ought to be such that vengeance cannot be feared. – Niccolo Machiavelli
Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration. – Niccolo Machiavelli