Machiavellian Tactics Quotes

Politics is the art of achieving power and prestige without merit.

The strong live off the weak and the clever live off the strong.

These books ain't window dressing. I think Machiavelli's the most sophisticated writer outside of Shakespeare. Way ahead of his time. Such a manipulative person. Everything he accomplished he did by kissin' ass.

If he [Franklin Delano Roosevelt] became convinced tomorrow that coming out for cannibalism would get him the votes he so sorely needs, he would begin fattening a missionary on the White House backyard come Wednesday.

I think six seasons are telling us one thing about 'Game of Thrones': Everyone should watch their back. No one is safe. That's what I love about the show. I love that it's so unpredictable.

In 'Bigg Boss,' back-biting is inevitable. It's a part of the game, and there's nothing wrong about it.

I'm focused on leaks that hurt the institution of the president and the president himself. I understand we have to leak things to reporters to help shape policy or try to balloon things or do tests on ideas or people for different jobs. I'm talking about nefarious, unnecessary, backstabbing, palace intrigue-like leaks.

Well used are those cruelties (if it is permitted to speak well of evil) that are carried out in a single stroke, done out of necessity to protect oneself, and are not continued but are instead converted into the greatest possible benefits for the subjects. Badly used are those cruelties which. although being few at the outset, grow with the passing time instead of disappearing. Those who follow the first method can remedy their condition with God and with men; the others cannot possibly survive.

A politician will do anything to keep his job—even become a patriot.

Most of the great results of history are brought about by discreditable means.

The occupations must be so allotted and contrived, that we may, in secret, influence all political transactions.

Gossip is easy, politics is hard.

Rahm Emanuel is son of the devil's spawn. He is an individual who would sell his mother to get a vote. He would strap his children to the front end of a steam locomotive.

Football is not a sport populated by honest people. You can't tell the truth or be up front with people. It's a business, and no one is friends.

Flattery was one of Kissinger's principal tools in winning over Nixon, and a tool he employed shamelessly.

If you ignore the murdering and the conniving, Francis Underwood is an effective politician.

The style of politics that Damian McBride represents has been discredited, and Labour has moved on.

By exploiting envy and fear, politicians can portray themselves as the saviors and protectors of the public — doing and saying whatever is necessary to gain the support needed to remain in power.

Politics, so far as mobilizing support is concerned, represents the art of calculated cheating, or more precisely how to cheat without being really caught

I have my detractors in Washington. There are bastards who spread things around, of course, who planted nasty things in the media.

In my years working in the Kennedy and Johnson administrations, I had learned that those who seek the presidency are prepared to stop at almost nothing to get their party’s nomination.

Bush the father did well in placing his sons as governors and did not forget to pass on the expertise in fraud from the leaders of the region to Florida to use it in critical moments.

If we can't get back to principles and integrity and it's reduced just the interest of calculation and Machiavellian manipulation, we are in deep trouble.

When they finally decided to do McCarthy in, Nixon was the fellow they selected, and he was perfectly willing to turn on his conservative friends and cut their throats….Nixon was a superb hatchet man.

This memorandum addresses the matter of how we can maximize the fact of our incumbency in dealing with persons known to be active in their opposition to our Administration. Stated a bit more bluntly—how we can use the available federal machinery to screw our political enemies?