"There are three kinds of intellects: one understands things by itself, the other discerns what others understand, and the third understands neither by itself nor through others. The first is excellent…"

"If a prince wants to keep his state, he must learn how to be not good, and to use or not use this according to the necessity."

"It is much safer to be feared than loved because 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…"

"The vulgar crowd always is taken by appearances, and the world consists chiefly of the vulgar."

"Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them."