God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us.
A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
Never was anything great achieved without danger.
Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.
The new ruler must determine all the injuries that he will need to inflict. He must inflict them once and for all.
Whoever conquers a free town and does not demolish it commits a great error and may expect to be ruined himself.
There is no surer sign of decay in a country than to see the rites of religion held in contempt.
When you disarm the people, you commence to offend them and show that you distrust them either through cowardice or lack of confidence, and both of these opinions generate hatred.
No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.
The distinction between children and adults, while probably useful for some purposes, is at bottom a specious one, I feel. There are only individual egos, crazy for love.
It is much more secure to be feared than to be loved.
Severities should be dealt out all at once, so that their suddenness may give less offense; benefits ought to be handed ought drop by drop, so that they may be relished the more.
Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.
Nature that framed us of four elements, warring within our breasts for regiment, doth teach us all to have aspiring minds.
War should be the only study of a prince. He should consider peace only as a breathing-time, which gives him leisure to contrive, and furnishes as ability to execute, military plans.