"Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times."

"A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and loyal; for, with a very few examples, he will be more merciful than those who, fro…"

"No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution."

"Men are more apt to forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony."

"A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves."