Francesco Guicciardini Quotes


Ambition is not in itself an evil; nor is he to be condemned whose spirit prompts him to seek fame by worthy and honourable ways.


Citations

Guicciardini, Francesco. Counsels and Reflections of Francesco Guicciardini. Translated by Ninian Hill Thomson, Kegan Paul, Trench, Trübner & Co., 1890, maxim 16.

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Francesco Guicciardini
Francesco Guicciardini
  • Born: March 6, 1483
  • Died: May 22, 1540
  • Nationality: Italian
  • Profession: Historian, Statesman

Francesco Guicciardini was an Italian historian and statesman. A friend and critic of Niccolò Machiavelli, he is considered one of the major political writers of the Italian Renaissance. In his masterpiece, The History of Italy, Guicciardini paved the way for a new style in historiography with his use of government sources to support arguments and the realistic analysis of the people and events of his time.