"It is necessary for him who lays out a state and arranges laws for it to presuppose that all men are bad, and that they will use their malignity of mind whenever they have a free opportunity to do so."

"All men are bad and ever ready to use their inherent baseness whenever they have a free opportunity to do so."

"Wise men say, and not without reason, that whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times."

"In the actions of men, and especially of princes, from which there is no appeal, the end justifies the means."

"I say that there are three kinds of brains: one that understands things by itself, one that can appreciate what others understand, and one that understands neither by itself nor through others."