Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

I am sometimes a fox and sometimes a lion. The whole secret of government lies in knowing when to be the one or the other.

The prince must consider, as has been in part said before, how to avoid those things which will make him hated or contemptible; and as often as he shall have succeeded he will have fulfilled his part, and he need not fear any danger in other reproaches.

How can anybody who is the head of a nation afford not to be a prag-matist?

I'm not an old, experienced hand at politics. But I am now seasoned enough to have learned that the hardest thing about any political campaign is how to win without proving that you are unworthy of winning.

A President needs political understanding to run the government, but he may be elected without it.

In my wide travels across the world and my meetings with various heads of states, be that Africa or South Asia, Singapore or in high level meetings in the U.S., U.K. or Japan, one common mention is about Dr. Singh's extraordinary reputation as a Wise Man, an outstanding Economist and a fine Gentleman.

Sensible men of substantial means are what we wish to be ruled by.

It is a maxim of wise government to deal with men not as they ought to be but as they are.

A ruler must learn to be other than good.

To rule without being felt…is the great mystery of policy.

David Ben-Gurion understood that the public's trust is given to a leader in order to lead, determine clear goals and make difficult decisions. The fate of the people and the good of the state guided him, not polls, media treatment or measures of prestige.

When you have nothing to say, or to hide, there is no need to be prudent.

Nevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant. From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved more than feared, or feared more than loved.

The people know that they need in their representative much more than talent, namely, the power to make his talent trusted.

Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. And I shall dare to say this also, that to have them and always to observe them is injurious, and that to appear to have them is useful; to appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright, and to be so, but with a mind so framed that should you require not to be so, you may be able and know how to change to the opposite.

In order to get big things done, sometimes, presidents have to be deft at moving the pea around under the shells.

There is only one form of political strategy in which I have any confidence, and that is to try to do the right thing and sometimes be able to succeed.

If you would govern a state of a thousand chariots (a small-to-middle-size state), you must pay strict attention to business, be true to your word, be economical in expenditure and love the people.

Plato long ago pointed out the importance of being governed by men with sufficient sense of responsibility and comprehension of public duties to be very reluctant to undertake the work of governing.

A country doesn't need a businessman to run it: it needs a heartful, worldly, compassionate leader.

I see Hillary [Clinton] as a calculating politician without any vision. It depends what the next thing is that they calculate she needs to say.

It is better for a city to be governed by a good man than by good laws.

Never risk your reputation on a single shot, for if you miss the loss is irreparable.

The noble people will be nobly ruled, and the ignorant and corrupt ignobly.

In respect to foresight and firmness, the people are more prudent, more stable, and have better judgement than princes.