Mastering 'The Prince'
The Prince examines the acquisition, perpetuation, and use of political power in the western world. Not intending his writing to be a scholarly treatise on political theory, Machiavelli wrote The Prince to prove his profiency in the art of the state, offering advice on how a prince might gain and keep power.
Machiavelli justified rule by force rather than by law. Accordingly, The Prince seems to justify a number of actions done solely to perpetuate power. It is a classic study of power-its acquisition, expansion, and effective use.
The Following are my highlighted notes from the book. I have plucked out important quotes which are Machiavelli's own word. I handtyped the whole document for my reference and I am sharing this valuable information online.
Machiavelli justified rule by force rather than by law. Accordingly, The Prince seems to justify a number of actions done solely to perpetuate power. It is a classic study of power-its acquisition, expansion, and effective use.
The Following are my highlighted notes from the book. I have plucked out important quotes which are Machiavelli's own word. I handtyped the whole document for my reference and I am sharing this valuable information online.
"52. Men are moved by two principle things - By love and by fear."
The Prince Key Points: 1 - 22
1. Hereditary states accustomed to the family of their ruler are more easily kept than new ones.
2. One change always leaves dentations upon which to build another
3. When there is no distinction of custom, men will live quietly.
4. By maintaining soldiers instead of colonies, a prince will spend much more.
5. It is the nature of things that as soon as a powerful foreigner enters, all those weaker powers in it will become his allies
6. It is truly a natural and ordinary thing to desire gain; and when those who can succeed attempt it, they will always be praised and not blames. But if they cannot succeed, yet try anyway, they are guilty of error and are blameworthy.
7. He who causes another to become powerful ruins himself.
8. A prudent man must always tread the path of great man and imitate those who have excelled.
9. He should act like the a prudent archer who, knowing the limitation of his bow and judging the target to be too far off, sets his aim still farther off, not to strike so distant a mark, but rather to strike the desired target through the more ambitious aim.
10. People are by nature changeable
11. It is easy to persuade them about some particular matter, but it is hard to hold them to persuasion
12. Hence it is necessary to provide that when they no longer believe, they can be forced to believe.
13. These opportunities then, gave these men the chance they needed, and their great abilities made them recognize it.
14. If one has unusual abilities and does not lay the foundations beforehand, he can lay them afterward, though with trouble for architect and danger to the edifice.
15. If you are a prince in possession of a newly acquired state and deem it necessary to guard against your enemies, to gain allies, to win either by force or fraud, to be loved and feared by your subjects, to be respected and obeyed by your troops, to annihilate those can or must attack you, to reform and modernize old institutions, to be sever yet cordial, magnanimous and liberal, to abolish a disloyal militia and create a new one, to preserve the friendships of kings and princes in such a way that they wither favor you graciously or oppose you cautiously.
16. The prince who comes to power through the support of the people will stand alone, and there will be few or none at all near him who will not be disposed to obey him.
17. They only ask that he avoid oppressing them.
18. Good will of the people is vital to a prince; otherwise he will be helpless in times of adversity.
19. He who builds on the people builds on mud. For this is true only when a private citizen trusts in them and then deludes himself into thinking that they will rescue him if he is set upon by enemies.
20. Never submit to idleness in time of peace, but rather endeavor to turn such time to advantage so as to profit from it in adversity.
21. Prince who is interested in his survival learn to be other than good, making use of this capacity or refraining from it according to need.
22. Some are called openhanded, others rapacious, some cruel, others merciful, some untrustworthy, others faithful; some effeminate and weak, others fierce and bold; some courteous, others haughty; some lascivious, others chaste; some frank, others wily; some stubborn, others pliant; some grave, others merry; some religious, others unbelieving and so on.
2. One change always leaves dentations upon which to build another
3. When there is no distinction of custom, men will live quietly.
4. By maintaining soldiers instead of colonies, a prince will spend much more.
5. It is the nature of things that as soon as a powerful foreigner enters, all those weaker powers in it will become his allies
6. It is truly a natural and ordinary thing to desire gain; and when those who can succeed attempt it, they will always be praised and not blames. But if they cannot succeed, yet try anyway, they are guilty of error and are blameworthy.
7. He who causes another to become powerful ruins himself.
8. A prudent man must always tread the path of great man and imitate those who have excelled.
9. He should act like the a prudent archer who, knowing the limitation of his bow and judging the target to be too far off, sets his aim still farther off, not to strike so distant a mark, but rather to strike the desired target through the more ambitious aim.
10. People are by nature changeable
11. It is easy to persuade them about some particular matter, but it is hard to hold them to persuasion
12. Hence it is necessary to provide that when they no longer believe, they can be forced to believe.
13. These opportunities then, gave these men the chance they needed, and their great abilities made them recognize it.
14. If one has unusual abilities and does not lay the foundations beforehand, he can lay them afterward, though with trouble for architect and danger to the edifice.
15. If you are a prince in possession of a newly acquired state and deem it necessary to guard against your enemies, to gain allies, to win either by force or fraud, to be loved and feared by your subjects, to be respected and obeyed by your troops, to annihilate those can or must attack you, to reform and modernize old institutions, to be sever yet cordial, magnanimous and liberal, to abolish a disloyal militia and create a new one, to preserve the friendships of kings and princes in such a way that they wither favor you graciously or oppose you cautiously.
16. The prince who comes to power through the support of the people will stand alone, and there will be few or none at all near him who will not be disposed to obey him.
17. They only ask that he avoid oppressing them.
18. Good will of the people is vital to a prince; otherwise he will be helpless in times of adversity.
19. He who builds on the people builds on mud. For this is true only when a private citizen trusts in them and then deludes himself into thinking that they will rescue him if he is set upon by enemies.
20. Never submit to idleness in time of peace, but rather endeavor to turn such time to advantage so as to profit from it in adversity.
21. Prince who is interested in his survival learn to be other than good, making use of this capacity or refraining from it according to need.
22. Some are called openhanded, others rapacious, some cruel, others merciful, some untrustworthy, others faithful; some effeminate and weak, others fierce and bold; some courteous, others haughty; some lascivious, others chaste; some frank, others wily; some stubborn, others pliant; some grave, others merry; some religious, others unbelieving and so on.
Did you Know?
Term Machiavellian used today describes one who deceives and manipulates others for gain; whether the gain is personal or not is of no relevance, only that any actions taken are only important insofar as they affect the results.
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The Prince Key Points: 23 - 37
23. Nevertheless, he ought to be slow to believe what he hears and slow to act. Nor should he fear imaginary dangers, but proceed with moderation, prudence, and humanity, avoiding carelessness born of overconfidence and unbearable harshness born of excessive distrust.
24. Love endures by a bond which men being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever present.
25. Men love as they themselves determine but fear as their ruler determines
26. A wise prince must rely upon what he and not others can control. He need only to strive avoid being hated.
27. Fickle, frivolous, effeminate, cowardly, and irresolute. These characteristics he must guard against as ships guard against reef.
28. He should conduct himself in such a way that greatness, boldness, gravity and strength will be observed in his actions.
29. Conspirator has nothing but fear, jealousy and dread if pain, which demoralizes him; while on his side the prince has the majesty of state, the laws, his allies and his government which defends him.
30. Nothing wins so much esteem for a prince as embarking on great enterprises and giving rare proofs of his ability.
31. A prince also gains esteem when he acts as a true ally or true enemy.
32. Good advice, no matter where it comes from, ultimately derives from the prudence of the prince, and the prudence of the prince does not derive from good advice.
33. No one should ever allow himself to fall down in the belief that someone else will lift him to his feet, because it will not happen; or if it does happen, it will not prove to his advantage.
34. A Prince who relies entirely upon fortune will fail when his fortune changes.
35. We know those men pursue ends they have in view, that is glory and wealth, by different ways. One uses caution while another is impetuous, one resorts to violence while another relies on craft, one acts patiently while another does the contrary; and each reaches his goals by a different route.
36. It is better to be impetuous than to be cautious, for fortune is a woman and in order to be mastered she must be jogged and beaten.
37. She submits for readily to boldness than to cold calculations. Therefore like a woman, she always favors young men because they are not so much inclined to caution as to aggressiveness and daring in mastering her.
24. Love endures by a bond which men being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever present.
25. Men love as they themselves determine but fear as their ruler determines
26. A wise prince must rely upon what he and not others can control. He need only to strive avoid being hated.
27. Fickle, frivolous, effeminate, cowardly, and irresolute. These characteristics he must guard against as ships guard against reef.
28. He should conduct himself in such a way that greatness, boldness, gravity and strength will be observed in his actions.
29. Conspirator has nothing but fear, jealousy and dread if pain, which demoralizes him; while on his side the prince has the majesty of state, the laws, his allies and his government which defends him.
30. Nothing wins so much esteem for a prince as embarking on great enterprises and giving rare proofs of his ability.
31. A prince also gains esteem when he acts as a true ally or true enemy.
32. Good advice, no matter where it comes from, ultimately derives from the prudence of the prince, and the prudence of the prince does not derive from good advice.
33. No one should ever allow himself to fall down in the belief that someone else will lift him to his feet, because it will not happen; or if it does happen, it will not prove to his advantage.
34. A Prince who relies entirely upon fortune will fail when his fortune changes.
35. We know those men pursue ends they have in view, that is glory and wealth, by different ways. One uses caution while another is impetuous, one resorts to violence while another relies on craft, one acts patiently while another does the contrary; and each reaches his goals by a different route.
36. It is better to be impetuous than to be cautious, for fortune is a woman and in order to be mastered she must be jogged and beaten.
37. She submits for readily to boldness than to cold calculations. Therefore like a woman, she always favors young men because they are not so much inclined to caution as to aggressiveness and daring in mastering her.
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The Prince Key Points: 38 - 52
38. Unparalleled wonders have been wrought by God. The sea has parted, a cloud has shown the way, stone has poured forth water, all things conspired to show his greatness. The rest you must do yourself. God is unwilling to do everything Himself lest He deprive us of our free will and of that portion of glory that belongs to us.
39. Whenever things go well of themselves there is no need for law. But as soon as good habits fail, law must be quickly invoked.
40. A prince that is free to do as he pleases is unreasonable, and a people that is free to so as it pleases is not wise.
42. I have concluded that it is the same reason that explains why men are now less courageous than they were then. I believe it is to be explained by the differences between our education and theirs and by the differences of religion upon which it is based. Our religion, having shown us the truth and the true way, has caused us to have less esteem for worldly honor, whereas pagans because they believed worldly honor to be the highest good, showed greater fierceness in their actions.
43. Our Religion has tended to glorify humble and contemplative men rather than men of action. Moreover, it has claimed that the highest good lies in humility, humbleness, and contempt of human things.
44. Their religion claimed that it lay in greatness of spirit, physical strength, and in all those things tend to make men brave
45. If our religion demands courage of a man, it demands it so that he may be able to suffer rather that do anything bold.
46. They lived in freedom and we live in servitude.
47. Cities and states that enjoy full freedom prosper greatly.
48. Those who are well off as much as those who are not - desire novelty
50. Men grow weary of good conditions and become dejected with bad ones.
51. If he is a foreigner, people will flock to him; if he is native, they will surround him and lend him support and favor.
52. Men are moved by two principle things - By love and by fear.
39. Whenever things go well of themselves there is no need for law. But as soon as good habits fail, law must be quickly invoked.
40. A prince that is free to do as he pleases is unreasonable, and a people that is free to so as it pleases is not wise.
42. I have concluded that it is the same reason that explains why men are now less courageous than they were then. I believe it is to be explained by the differences between our education and theirs and by the differences of religion upon which it is based. Our religion, having shown us the truth and the true way, has caused us to have less esteem for worldly honor, whereas pagans because they believed worldly honor to be the highest good, showed greater fierceness in their actions.
43. Our Religion has tended to glorify humble and contemplative men rather than men of action. Moreover, it has claimed that the highest good lies in humility, humbleness, and contempt of human things.
44. Their religion claimed that it lay in greatness of spirit, physical strength, and in all those things tend to make men brave
45. If our religion demands courage of a man, it demands it so that he may be able to suffer rather that do anything bold.
46. They lived in freedom and we live in servitude.
47. Cities and states that enjoy full freedom prosper greatly.
48. Those who are well off as much as those who are not - desire novelty
50. Men grow weary of good conditions and become dejected with bad ones.
51. If he is a foreigner, people will flock to him; if he is native, they will surround him and lend him support and favor.
52. Men are moved by two principle things - By love and by fear.
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Prince (Machiavelli)
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Always Remember
The Prince Key Points are only useful when its memorized and practiced.
1. Print a Copy
2. Attach it to a place where you will see it everyday.
3. Read it piously
I get better with Constructive Criticisms
RufusQuail wrote...
I am so thankful that you didn't just paste in a wikipedia article and call it a day. You have given your own insights, giving this lens great value. Thanks 5*
Posted September 24, 2008
by stoetzels
I am a self-proclaimed writer, enjoying life as it unveils. I write about almost anything that interest me. My work is blessed by a great set of frien... (more)
