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The Prince
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The Prince (1532) (edit title/settings)

by Niccolò Machiavelli (Author) (edit contributors)

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Description edit see section history

Niccolo Machiavelli was a 16th century Italian public servant and political theorist. "The Prince" is his best known work, for which he is known as the originator of Machiavellian politics. Machiavelli intended this book to serve as a guide to Princes on how to maintain stability, govern... read more

Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit see section history

  • - Machiavelli stated in The Prince immanent truths, still valid for all those involved in political power.
  • - Machiavelli's handbook for new Princes, detailing the ways in which they will best keep their power.
  • - Pragmatism and power rule the world. Virtue is based upon perceived strength rather than esoteric concepts.
  • - The right and wrong way to lead
  • - Prince is synonomous for Leader

Summary edit see section history

W. K. Marriot says it straightly: "Although the light of almost four centuries has been focused on “The Prince”, its problems are still debatable and interesting, because they are the eternal problems between the ruled and their rulers. Such as they are, its ethics are those of Machiavelli’s... read more

W. K. Marriot says it straightly: "Although the light of almost four centuries has been focused on “The Prince”, its problems are still debatable and interesting, because they are the eternal problems between the ruled and their rulers. Such as they are, its ethics are those of Machiavelli’s contemporaries; yet they cannot be said to be out of date so long as the governments of Europe rely on material rather than on moral forces. Its historical incidents and personages become interesting by reason of the uses which Machiavelli makes of them to illustrate his theories of government and conduct." A guide book for leaders.

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Considering the difficulties which men have had to hold a newly acquired state, some might wonder how, seeing that Alexander the Great became the master of Asia in a few years, ...”
  • “These methods are when, either by some wicked or nefarious ways, one ascends to the principality, or when by the favour of his fellow-citizens a private person becomes the prince of his country.”
  • ““Considering the difficulties which men have had to hold a newly acquired state, some might wonder how, seeing that Alexander the Great became the master of Asia in a few years, ...”“These methods are when, either by some wicked or nefarious ways, one ascends to the principality, or when by the favour of his fellow-citizens a private person becomes the prince of his country.””
  • “A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler. And it is of such great value that it not only keeps hereditary princes in power, but often raises men of lowly condition to that rank.”
    This quote from Chapter XIV highlights warcraft as both an academic discipline that can be studied through historical examples and as a matter of practical experience.
  • “Only the expenditure of one’s own resources is harmful; and, indeed, nothing feeds upon itself as liberality does. The more it is indulged, the fewer are the means to indulge it further. As a consequence, a prince becomes poor and contemptible or, to escape poverty, becomes rapacious and hateful. Of all the things he must guard against, hatred and contempt come first, and liberality leads to both. Therefore it is better to have a name for miserliness, which breeds disgrace without hatred, than, in pursuing a name for liberality, to resort to rapacity, which breeds both disgrace and hatred.”
    This passage from Chapter XVI illustrates Machiavelli’s attitude toward virtue and statecraft. Machiavelli advises the prince to disregard the principles of virtue when acting on behalf of his state. Instead, while it is desirable for a prince to act virtuously when he can, he should never let perceptions of virtue interfere with statecraft.
  • “People are by nature changeable. It is easy to persuade them about some particular matter, but it is hard to hold them to that persuasion. Hence it is necessary to provide that when they no longer believe, they can be forced to believe.”
    This passage from Chapter VI is an example of Machiavelli’s use of assumptions about human nature to justify political action.
  • “At this point one may note that men must be either pampered or annihilated. They avenge light offenses; they cannot avenge severe ones; hence, the harm one does to a man must be such as to obviate any fear of revenge.”
    This passage from Chapter III is an example of logical reasoning conspicuously devoid of ethical considerations.
  • “Here a question arises: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved. . . . Love endures by a bond which men, being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever present.”
  • “The end justifies the means.”
  • “To be devoid of honour, pity, and religion, cannot be counted as merits, for these are means which may lead to power, but which confer no glory.”
  • “No true victory is gained by foreign aid.”
  • “Evil acts are sanctioned when they are deemed to be necessary in pursuit of the greater goods of social stability and maintaining the prince's power.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Idealistic politicians are ineffective politicians.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Cruelty is acceptable if it is deemed necessary.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Tyranny is to be avoided, as people suffering under a tyrant will rebel against his authority.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Let us enjoy the benefits of the time--but rather the benefits of their own valour and prudence, for time drives everything before it, and is able to bring with it good as well as evil, and evil as well as good.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Whenever those states which have been accustomed to live under their on laws and in freedom, there are three courses for those who wish to hold them: the first is to ruin them, the next is to reside there in person, the third is to permit them to live under their own laws, drawing a tribute, and establishing within it an oligarchy which will keep it friendly to you.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “There is no safe way to retain <conquered lands> otherwise than by ruining them.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “A wise man ought always to follow the paths beaten by great men, and to imitate those who have been supreme, so that if his ability does not equal theirs, at least it will savour it.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Nevertheless, he who has relied least on fortune is established the strongest.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “He who considers it necessary to secure himself in his new principality, to win friends, to overcome either by force or fraud, t make himself beloved and feared by the people, to be followed and revered by the soldiers, to exterminate those who have power or reason to hurt him, to change the old order of things for new, to be severe and gracious, magnanimous and liberal, to destroy a disloyal soldiery and to create new, to maintain friendship with kings and princes in such a way that they must help him with zeal and offend with caution,cannot find a more lively example than the actions of this man <Cesare Borgia>.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “He who believes that new benefits will cause great personages to forget old injuries is deceived.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “A prince should avoid being hated, and if any particularly unpleasant and unpopular tasks must be achieved, he would do better to delegate them to someone else.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “He who builds on the people, builds on the mud.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli (A Proverb)
  • “Because men, when they receive good from him of whom they were expecting evil, are bound more closely to their benefactor.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “It is the nature of men to be bound by benefits they confer as much as by those they receive.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “The arms of others either fall from your back, or they bind you fast.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “A wise prince ought to observe some such rules, and never in peaceful times stand idle, but increase his resources with industry in such a way that they may be available to him in adversity, so that if fortune changes it may find him prepared to resist her blows.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “It appears to be more appropriate to follow up the real truth of a matter than the imagination of it.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “For a man who wishes to act entirely up to his professions of virtue soon meets with what destroys him among so much that is evil.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “How one lives is so far distant from how one ought to live, that he who neglects what is done for what ought to be done, sooner effects his ruin than his preservation.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Res dura, et regni novitas me talia cogunt Moliri, et late fines custode tueri. ... against my will, my fate, A throne unsettled, and an infant state, Bid me defend my realms with all my pow'rs, And guard with these severities my shores.”
    Virgil via Dido
  • “Therefore it is wiser to have a reputation for meanness which brings reproach without hatred, than to be compelled through seeking a reputation for liberality to incur a name for rapacity which begets reproach with hatred.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Is it better to be feared than to be loved? It may be answered that one should wish to be both, but, because it is difficult to unite them in one person, it is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with. Because this is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous, as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life, and children, as is said above, when the war is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you. And that prince who, relying entirely on their promises, has neglected other precautions, is ruined: because friendships that are obtained by payments, and not by greatness or nobility of mind, may indeed be earned, but they are not secured, and in time of need cannot be relied upon; and men have less scruple in offending one who is beloved than one who is feared...”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “...for 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.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “But above all things he must keep his hands off the property of others, because men more quickly forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Men loving according to their own will and fearing according to that of the prince, a wise prince should establish himself on that which is in his own control and not in that of others; he must endeavour only to avoid hatred, as is noted.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Therefore it is necessary for a prince to understand how to avail himself of the beast and the man. It is necessary for a prince to know to make use of both natures, and that one without the other is not durable.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “It is necessary to be a fox to discover the snares and a lion to terrify the wolves.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “It should be noted that hatred is acquired as much by good works as by bad ones.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “All these things considered then,I shall praise him who builds fortresses as well as him who does not, and I shall blame whoever, trusting in them, cares little about being hated by the people. Alexander never did what he said, Cesare never said what he did.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “And a prince ought, above all things, always to endeavor in every action to gain for himself the reputation of being a great and remarkable man.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “A prince is also respected when he is either a true friend or a downright enemy.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Alexander never did what he said, Cesare never said what he did.”
    Italian Proverb via Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Never let any government imagine that it can choose perfectly safe courses; rather let it expect to have to take very doubtful ones, because it is found in ordinary affairs, that one never seeks to avoid one trouble without running into another; but prudence consists in knowing how to distinguish the character of troubles, and for choice to take the lesser evil.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends by itself nor by the showing of others; the first is the most excellent, the second is good, the third is useless.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Because there is no other way of guarding oneself from flatterers except letting men understand that to tell you the truth does not offend you; but when every one may tell you the truth, respect for you abates.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “A prince, therefore, ought always to take counsel, but only when he wishes and not when others wish; he ought rather to discourage every one from offering advice unless he asks it; but however, he ought to be a constant inquirer, and afterwards a patient listener concerning the things of which he inquired; also, on learning that any one, on any consideration, has not told him the truth, he should let his anger be felt.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “I hold it to be true that Fortune is the arbiter of one-half of our actions, but that she still leaves us to direct the other half, or perhaps a little less.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “For my part consider that it is better to be adventurous tan cautious, because fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under it is necessary to beat and ill-use her; and it is seen that she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly. She is, therefore, always, woman-like, a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity to command her.”
    Niccolo Machiavelli
  • “Virtu contro al Furore Prendera l'arme, e fia il combatter corto: Che l'antico valore Negli italici cuor non e ancor morto. Virtue against fury shall advance the fight, and it i' th' combat soon shall put to flight; For the old Roman, valour is not dead, Nor in th' Italians' breats extinguished.”
    Petrarch via Niccolo Machiavelli
  • Popular Highlights from Kindle Customers
  • He who causes another to become powerful ruins himself, for he brings such a power into being either by design or by force, and both of these elements are suspect to the one whom he has made powerful.
    Highlighted by 29 Kindle customers
  • At this point one may note that men must be either pampered or annihilated. They avenge light offenses; they cannot avenge severe ones; hence, the harm one does to a man must be such as to obviate any fear of revenge.
    Highlighted by 21 Kindle customers
  • princes should delegate unpopular duties to others while dispensing all favors directly themselves.
    Highlighted by 19 Kindle customers
  • one should never permit a disorder to persist in order to avoid a war, for war is not avoided thereby but merely deferred to one’s own disadvantage.
    Highlighted by 17 Kindle customers
  • Men almost always walk in paths beaten by others and act by imitation. Though he cannot hold strictly to the ways of others or match the ability of those he imitates, a prudent man must always tread the path of great men and imitate those who have excelled, so that even if his ability does not match theirs, at least he will achieve some semblance of it.
    Highlighted by 15 Kindle customers
  • NOTHING WINS so much esteem for a prince as embarking on great enterprises and giving rare proofs of his ability.
    Highlighted by 14 Kindle customers
  • A prince also gains esteem when he acts as a true ally or true enemy, that is, when he declares himself openly for or against one of two conflicting parties—a policy that is always better than neutrality.
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
  • It is truly a natural and ordinary thing to desire gain; and when those who can succeed attempt it, they will always be praised and not blamed. But if they cannot succeed, yet try anyway, they are guilty of error and are blameworthy.
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
  • Therefore a wise prince must provide in such a way that, in whatever circumstances, the citizens will always be in need of him and of his government. Then they will always be loyal to him.
    Highlighted by 13 Kindle customers
  • Minds are of three kinds: one is capable of thinking for itself; another is able to understand the thinking of others; and a third can neither think for itself nor understand the thinking of others. The first is of the highest excellence, the second is excellent, and the third is worthless.
    Highlighted by 10 Kindle customers
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Setting & Locations edit see section history

This book is set in the 1500s, when it was written, and references many times and places.
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First Sentence edit see section history

To the Magnificent Lorenzo di Piero de' Medici: Those who strive to obtain the good graces of a prince are accustomed to come before him with such things as they hold most precious, or in which they see him take most delight; whence one often sees horses, arms, cloth of gold, precious stones, and similar ornaments presented to princes, worthy of their greatness.

Table of Contents edit see section history

INTRODUCTION
DEDICATION: To the Magnificent Lorenzo di Piero de Medici
CHAPTER I: How many kinds of principalities there are, and by what means they are acquired
CHAPTER II: Concerning hereditary principalities
CHAPTER III: Concerning mixed principalities
CHAPTER IV: Why the kingdom of Darius, conquered by Alexander, did not rebel against the successors of Alexander at his death
CHAPTER V: Concerning the way to govern cities or principalities which lived under their own laws before they were annexed
CHAPTER VI: Concerning new principalities which are acquired by one's own arms and ability
CHAPTER VII: Concerning new principalities which are acquired either by the arms of others or by good fortune
CHAPTER VIII: Concerning those who have obtained a principality by wickedness
CHAPTER IX: Concerning a civil principality
CHAPTER X: Concerning the way in which the strength of all principalities ought to be measured
CHAPTER XI: Concerning ecclesiastical principalities
CHAPTER XII: How many kinds of soldiers there are, and concerning mercenaries
CHAPTER XIII: Concerning auxiliaries, mixed soldiery, and one's own
CHAPTER XIV: That which concerns a prince on the subject of the art of war
CHAPTER XV: Concerning things for which men, and especially princes, are praised or blamed
CHAPTER XVI: Concerning liberality and meanness
CHAPTER XVII: Concerning cruelty and clemency, and whether it is better to be loved than feared
CHAPTER XVIII: Concerning the way in which princes should keep faith
CHAPTER XIX: That one should avoid being despised and hated
CHAPTER XX: Are fortresses, and many other things to which princes often resort, advantageous or hurtful
CHAPTER XXI: How a prince should conduct himself so as to gain renown
CHAPTER XXII: Concerning the secretaries of princes
CHAPTER XXIII: How flatterers should be avoided
CHAPTER XXIV: Why the princes of Italy have lost their states
CHAPTER XXV: What fortune can effect in human affairs and how to withstand her
CHAPTER XXVI: An exhortation to liberate Italy from the Barbarians

Themes & Symbolism edit see section history

  • Free Will: Machiavelli often uses the words “prowess” and “fortune” to describe two distinct ways in which a prince can come to power. “Prowess” refers to an individual’s talents, while “fortune” implies chance or luck. Part of Machiavelli’s aim in writing The Prince is to investigate how much of a prince’s success or failure is caused by his own free will and how much is determined by nature or the environment in which he lives. Machiavelli applies this question specifically to the failure of past Italian princes. In Chapter XXV, Machiavelli discusses the role of fortune in determining human affairs. He attempts to compromise between free will and determinism by arguing that fortune controls half of human actions and leaves the other half to free will. However, Machiavelli also argues that through foresight—a quality that he champions throughout the book—people can shield themselves against fortune’s vicissitudes. Thus, Machiavelli can be described as confident in the power of human beings to shape their destinies to a degree, but equally confident that human control over events is never absolute.
  • Virtue: Machiavelli defines virtues as qualities that are praised by others, such as generosity, compassion, and piety. He argues that a prince should always try to appear virtuous, but that acting virtuously for virtue’s sake can prove detrimental to the principality. A prince should not necessarily avoid vices such as cruelty or dishonesty if employing them will benefit the state. Cruelty and other vices should not be pursued for their own sake, just as virtue should not be pursued for its own sake: virtues and vices should be conceived as means to an end. Every action the prince takes must be considered in light of its effect on the state, not in terms of its intrinsic moral value.
  • Goodwill & Hatred: To remain in power, a prince must avoid the hatred of his people. It is not necessary for him to be loved; in fact, it is often better for him to be feared. Being hated, however, can cause a prince’s downfall. This assertion might seem incompatible with Machiavelli’s statements on the utility of cruelty, but Machiavelli advocates the use of cruelty only insofar as it does not compromise the long-term goodwill of the people. The people’s goodwill is always the best defense against both domestic insurrection and foreign aggression. Machiavelli warns princes against doing things that might result in hatred, such as the confiscation of property or the dissolution of traditional institutions. Even installations that are normally valued for military use, such as fortresses, should be judged primarily on their potential to garner support for the prince. Indeed, only when he is absolutely sure that the people who hate him will never be able to rise against him can a prince cease to worry about incurring the hatred of any of his subjects. Ultimately, however, obtaining the goodwill of the people has little or nothing to do with a desire for the overall happiness of the populace. Rather, goodwill is a political instrument to ensure the stability of the prince’s reign.
  • Statesmanship & Warcraft: Machiavelli believes that good laws follow naturally from a good military. His famous statement that “the presence of sound military forces indicates the presence of sound laws” describes the relationship between developing states and war in The Prince. Machiavelli reverses the conventional understanding of war as a necessary, but not definitive, element of the development of states, and instead asserts that successful war is the very foundation upon which all states are built. Much of The Prince is devoted to describing exactly what it means to conduct a good war: how to effectively fortify a city, how to treat subjects in newly acquired territories, and how to prevent domestic insurrection that would distract from a successful war. But Machiavelli’s description of war encompasses more than just the direct use of military force—it comprises international diplomacy, domestic politics, tactical strategy, geographic mastery, and historical analysis. Within the context of Machiavelli’s Italy—when cities were constantly threatened by neighboring principalities and the area had suffered through power struggles for many years—his method of viewing almost all affairs of state through a military lens was a timely innovation in political thinking.
  • Human Nature: Love endures by a bond which men, being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever present.Machiavelli asserts that a number of traits are inherent in human nature. People are generally self-interested, although their affection for others can be won and lost. They are content and happy so long they are not victims of something terrible. They may be trustworthy in prosperous times, but they will quickly turn selfish, deceitful, and profit-driven in times of adversity. People admire honor, generosity, courage, and piety in others, but most of them do not exhibit these virtues themselves. Ambition is commonly found among those who have achieved some power, but most common people are satisfied with the status quo and therefore do not yearn for increased status. People will naturally feel a sense of obligation after receiving a favor or service, and this bond is usually not easily broken. Nevertheless, loyalties are won and lost, and goodwill is never absolute. Such statements about human nature are often offered up as justifications for the book’s advice to princes. While Machiavelli backs up his political arguments with concrete historical evidence, his statements about society and human nature sometimes have the character of assumptions rather than observations.
  • Leadership: Describe this theme.

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in KCPL Discussion Kit (Aug2010). (community list)
This is book 59 of 74 in Robert B. Downs - Books that Changed the World. (authoritative list)

Preceded by De Motu Cordis, and followed by The Principia.

This is book 2 of 96 in The Art of Manliness' Essential Man’s Library. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Great Gatsby, and followed by Slaughterhouse-Five.

This book is in Penguin's Top 100 Classics. (authoritative list)
This is book 31 of 96 in Newsweek's Top 100 Books: The Meta-List. (authoritative list)

Preceded by Das Kapital, and followed by The Confessions of St. Augustine.

This is book 16 of 29 in SIM's Regional Leadership Forum 2011 Book List. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Five Dysfunctions of a Team, and followed by Orbiting the Giant Hairball.

This is book 32 of 96 in Wikipedia's 100 most influential books ever written. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Praise of Folly, and followed by On the Babylonian Captivity of the Church.

This book is in Penguin Classic Deluxe Edition Book Covers. (community list)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: Italian
Publisher: Antonio Blado d'Asola
Country: Italy
Publication Date: 1532
ISBN: N/A
Page Count: 283

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: JC143 .M38
  • Dewey: 320.01

Notes for Parents edit see section history

Reading Level: Young Adults

Often taught in high school classes.

Links to Supplemental Material edit see section history

Books with Additional Background Information edit see section history

   
  • Niccolo Machiavelli's the Prince : New Interdisciplinary Essays (Texts in Culture)
  • Niccolo Machiavelli's "The Prince": A Study Guide from Gale's "Novels for Students" (Volume 09, Chapter 11)
  • The Essential Writings of Machiavelli
  • CliffsNotes on Machiavelli's The Prince
  • Machiavelli: Philosopher of Power (Eminent Lives)
  • Niccolo's Smile: A Biography of Machiavelli
  • Thoughts on Machiavelli

Books Influenced by This Book edit see section history

   
  • Lucrecia Borgia

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • Free for All
  • Morning by Morning

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