"Men are always averse to new things, and it is very hard to persuade them to change."

"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."

"If a prince wants to maintain his rule, he must learn how not to be virtuous, and to make use of this or not, according to need."

"For where the fear of God is wanting, it is inevitable that the kingdom will come to ruin, or that it will be sustained by the fear of a prince, which will supply the want of religion."

"A prince must not have any other object nor any other thought… but war, its institutions, and its discipline; because that is the only art befitting one who commands."