The Prince

“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.”

“Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good. Hence a prince who wants to keep his authority must learn how not to be good, and use that knowledge, or refrain from using it, as necessity requires.”

― Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince

The Prince (1532) by Niccolo Machiavelli is a masterpiece produced in the 16th century that discusses the characteristics of an ideal prince. This marvelous book by Machiavelli offers a treatise on how to be a successful prince. The book deliberates on various types of principalities and different models of princes. According to Machiavelli, power politics, warcraft, and popular goodwill are the major areas that concerns the making of a remarkable prince. Machiavelli, in this book, offers practical advice on a variety of matters, including the advantages and disadvantages that one faces on different routes to power, how to acquire and hold new states, how to deal with internal insurgency, how to make alliances, and how to maintain a strong army.