Niccolò Machiavelli

Florentine diplomat and political writer, 1469–1527. Explained quotes.

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About Niccolò Machiavelli

Niccolò Machiavelli served the Republic of Florence as a diplomat and official until the Medici family returned to power in 1512. Out of office, he wrote The Prince, a blunt handbook on gaining and keeping power, as well as the Discourses on Livy and the comedy The Mandrake.

More lines by Machiavelli

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“It is much safer to be feared than loved, when, of the two, either must be dispensed with.”
The Prince, Chapter 17 (Marriott translation), 1532