There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt..

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him..

All courses of action are risky, so prudence is not in avoiding danger (it's impossible), but calculating risk and acting decisively. Make mistakes o….

The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion….

Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy..

A battle that you win cancels all your mistakes..

Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times. This arises from the fact that t….

You know better than I that in a Republic talent is always suspect. A man attains an elevated position only when his mediocrity prevents him from bei….

it is better to act and repent than not to act and regret..

Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong..

One should never fall in the belief that you can find someone to pick you up..

Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are..

If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared..

A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one's own ignorance..

The more sand has escaped from the hourglass of our life, the clearer we should see through it..

One of the great secrets of the day is to know how to take possession of popular prejudices and passions, in such a way as to introduce a confusion o….

Before all else, be armed..

A government which does not trust its citizens to be armed is not itself to be trusted..

Women are the most charitable creatures, and the most troublesome. He who shuns women passes up the trouble, but also the benefits. He who puts up wi….

Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration..

The ends justifies the means..