Niccolò Machiavelli Quotes: 50 Thought-Provoking Words About Leadership and Human Nature

Liputan6.com, Jakarta - Niccolò Machiavelli quotes are famous around the world. They can provide deep insights into power, politics, and human behavior. Many people find these quotes thought-provoking and relevant even today.

Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian philosopher and writer who lived during the Renaissance period. He is best known for his book "The Prince," where he discusses political leadership and strategy. Machiavelli's ideas focus on how rulers should act in order to maintain power and protect their state. Some readers see his work as satire while others view it as a realistic guide to political behavior. His quotes often reflect a pragmatic and sometimes harsh view of politics, showing how leaders must adapt to survive.

In this article, we have gathered some of the best Machiavelli quotes from various sources, Monday (27/4/2026). From these quotes, we can learn many thing about leadership and politics and see how they still relevant today.

1. “It is necessary for a prince wishing to hold his own to know how to do wrong, and to make use of it or not according to necessity.”

2. “He who becomes a Prince through the favour of the people should always keep on good terms with them; which it is easy for him to do, since all they ask is not to be oppressed”

3. "Power is the pivot on which everything hinges. He who has the power is always right; the weaker is always wrong."

4. “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 you by a dread of punishment which never fails.”

5. “There is no other way to guard yourself against flattery than by making men understand that telling you the truth will not offend you.”

6. “Since love and fear can hardly exist together, if we must choose between them, it is far safer to be feared than loved”

7. "Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society."

8. “Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.”

9. “It is not titles that honour men, but men that honour titles.”

10. “Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”

11. “A prince is also esteemed when he is a true friend and a true enemy.”

12. “Therefore the best fortress is to be found in the love of the people, for although you may have fortresses they will not save you if you are hated by the people.”

13. “Being feared and not hated go well together, and the prince can always do this if he does not touch the property or the women of his citizens and subjects.”

14. "A prince never lacks legitimate reasons to break his promise."

15. "Politics have no relation to morals."

16. "He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command."

17. "The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him."

18. "The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves."

19. "A government which does not trust its citizens to be armed is not itself to be trusted."

20. "A wise ruler should rely on what is under his own control, not on what is under the control of others."

1. “Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony”

2. “Men are so simple of mind, and so much dominated by their immediate needs, that a deceitful man will always find plenty who are ready to be deceived.”

3. “Men never do good unless necessity drives them to it; but when they are free to choose and can do just as they please, confusion and disorder become rampant.”

4. “Men are driven by two principal impulses, either by love or by fear.”

5. "Men are so stupid and concerned with their present needs, they will always let themselves be deceived."

6. "It is just as difficult and dangerous to try to free a people that wants to remain servile as it is to enslave a people that wants to remain free."

7. "Any man who tries to be good all the time is bound to come to ruin among the great number who are not good."

8. "Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration."

9. "For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearances, as though they were realities, and are often more influenced by the things that seem than by those that are."

10. “Men should be either treated generously or destroyed, because they take revenge for slight injuries - for heavy ones they cannot.”

11. “Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”

12. “...the incredulity of mankind, who do not truly believe in anything new until they have had actual experience of it.”

13. “And truly it is a very natural and ordinary thing to desire to acquire, and always, when men do it who can, they will be praised or not blamed; but when they cannot, and wish to do it anyway, here lies the error and the blame.”

14. “Men desire novelty to such an extent that those who are doing well wish for a change as much as those who are doing badly.”

15. “One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.”

1. "Never was anything great achieved without danger."

2. “I desire to go to Hell and not to Heaven. In the former I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks and apostles.”

3. "Hatred is gained as much by good works as by evil."

4. “There is no avoiding war, it can only be postponed to the advantage of your enemy.”

5. "If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared."

6. "The wise man does at once what the fool does finally."

7. "One change always leaves the way open for the establishment of others."

8. “It is better to act and repent than not to act and regret.”

9. "Always assume incompetence before looking for conspiracy."

10. "A sign of intelligence is an awareness of one's own ignorance."

11. “Wisdom consists of knowing how to distinguish the nature of trouble, and in choosing the lesser evil.”

12. "Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great."

13. “Nature creates few men brave, industry and training makes many.”

14. “Therefore any cruelty has to be executed at once, so that the less it is tasted, the less it offends; while benefits must be dispensed little by little, so that they will be savored all the more.”

15. “For, in truth, there is no sure way of holding other than by destroying”