Marcus Aurelius and Nicolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli, The Prince

Everyone understands how praiseworthy it is for a

prince to remain true to his word and to live with

complete integrity without any scheming. However,

we've seen through experience how many princes in our

time have achieved great things who have little cared

about keeping their word and have shrewdly known the

skill of tricking the minds of men; these princes have

overcome those whose actions were founded on honesty

and integrity.

1

It should be understood that there are two types of

fighting: one with laws and the other with force. The

first is most suitable for men, the second is most suitable

for beasts, but it often happens that the first is not

enough, which requires that we take recourse to the

second. Therefore, it is necessary for a prince to know

how to act both as a man and as a beast. This was

signified allegorically to princes by the ancient writers:

they wrote that Achilles and many other ancient princes

were given to be raised and tutored by the centaur

Chiron, who took custody of them and disciplined them.

This can only mean, this trainer who was half beast and

half man, that a prince needs to know how to use either

one or the other nature, and the one without the other

will never last.

2

Since it is necessary for the prince to use the ways of

beasts, he should imitate the fox and the lion, because

the lion cannot defend himself from snares and the fox

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cannot defend himself from wolves. Therefore, it is

important to be a fox in order to understand the snares

and a lion in order to terrify the wolves. Those who

choose only to be a lion do not really understand.

Therefore, a prudent leader will not and should not

observe his promises, when such observance will work

against him and when the reasons for making the

promise are no longer valid. If all men were good, this

precept would not be good; but since men are evil and

will not keep their word with you, you shouldn't keep

yours to them. Never has a prince lacked legitimate

reasons to break faith. I could give you infinite

examples from modern times, and show you numerous

peace treaties and promises that have been broken and

made completely empty by the faithlessness of princes:

these knew well how to use the ways of the fox, and they

are the ones who succeed. But it is necessary to know

how to hide this nature and to simulate a good

character and to dissimulate: for the majority of men

are simple and will only follow the needs of the present,

so that the deceiver can always find someone he can

deceive.

I'm not going to pass up a specific example from recent

history. Alexander VI [the worldly pope who

illegitimately fathered Machiavelli's hero, Cesare

Borgia] never did or thought about anything else except

deceiving people and always found some reason or

other to do it. There was never a man who was better at

making assurances, or more eager to offer solemn

promises, or who kept them less; yet he always

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succeeded in his deceptions beyond his wildest dreams,

because he played his role in the world so well.

Therefore, a prince doesn't need to have all the qualities

mentioned earlier, but it is necessary that he appear to

have them. I'll even add to this: having good qualities

and alway practicing them is harmful, while appearing

to practice them is useful. It's good to appear to be

pious, faithful, humane, honest, and religious, and it's

good to be all those things; but as long as one keeps in

mind that when the need arises you can and will change

into the opposite. It needs to be understood that a

prince, and especially a prince recently installed, cannot

observe all those qualities which make men good, and it

is often necessary in order to preserve the state to act

contrary to faith, contrary to mercy, contrary to

humaneness, and contrary to religion. And therefore he

needs a spririt disposed to follow wherever the winds of

fortune and the variability of affairs leads him. As I said

above, it's necessary that he not depart from right but

that he follow evil.

5

A prince must take great care never to let anything

come from his mouth that is not full of the above-

mentioned five qualities, and he must appear to all who

see and hear him to be completely pious, completely

faithful, completely honest, completely humane, and

completely religious. And nothing is more important

than to appear to have that last quality. Men judge

more by their eyes than by their hands, because

everyone can see but few can feel. Everyone can see how

you appear, few can feel what you are, and these few

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will not dare to oppose the opnion of the multitude

when it is defended by the majesty of the state. In

actions of all men, especially princes, where there is no

recourse to justice, the end is all that counts. A prince

should only be concerned with conquering or

maintaining a state, for the means will always be judged

to be honorable and praiseworthy by each and every

person, because the masses always follow appearances

and the outcomes of affairs, and the world is nothing

other than the masses. The few do not find a place

wherever the masses are supported. There is a certain

prince of our own time [Ferdinand of Spain], whom it

would not be wise to name, who preaches nothing

except peace and faith, and yet is the greatest enemy of

both; and if he had observed one or the other, he

already would have lost both his reputation and his

state many times over.