How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
And I'm sure we'd all agree that it would be an excellent thing if a ruler were to have all the good qualities mentioned above and none of the bad; but since it's in the nature of life that you can't have or practise all those qualities all of the time, a ruler must take care to avoid the disgrace that goes with the kind of failings that could lose him his position. (15.3)
Notice that Machiavelli buffers what he's going to say with the first part of the sentence. Yeah, we can all get behind a ruler having good qualities. Then, just when we're nodding our head in agreement, he sneaks in to tell us it won't happen, and even worse, to just make sure we don't get in trouble for it.
Quote #2
In our own times the only leaders we've seen doing great things were all reckoned mean. The others were failures. (16.2)
Really? There wasn't a single nice ruler out there? Not one? Machiavelli really seems to put the ancient past up on a pedestal.
Quote #3
[…] A ruler in power and a man seeking power are two different things. For the ruler already in power generosity is dangerous; for the man seeking power it is essential. (16.3)
Machiavelli hasn't talked a lot about this part of reputation-building, just kissing up to make sure that people like you. He focuses not on diplomacy or politicking, but war. Wouldn't it be interesting if there were a chapter on this, too?
Quote #4
Above all else a king must guard against being despised and hated. (16.4)
Studying this book would be a lot easier if he just wrote everything out like the ten commandments. A lot shorter, too.
Quote #5
So if a leader does what it takes to win power and keep it, his methods will always be reckoned honourable and widely praised. (18.6)
So what exactly does a ruler's reputation rest on, anyway? On what he does, or on the final outcomes? This may sound similar, but that whole "the ends justify the means" thing? Machiavelli never said it.
Quote #6
The ruler who projects this impression of himself will be highly thought of and it's hard to conspire against a man who is well thought of. Then so long as he has a reputation for excellence and is respected by his people it will be hard for outside enemies to attack him either. (19.2)
If you don't agree with Machiavelli that people never attack rulers they respect and love, think of the last time that someone conspired against Elmo. Can't think of one, can you?
Quote #7
[I]f a ruler can't avoid hatred altogether, he must first try to avoid the hatred of the country as a whole, and when that proves impossible he must do everything he can to escape the hatred of the classes that wield the most power. (19.10)
Power comes from cash or weapons. In ancient Rome, it was the weapons of the army. In Italy, it's the money of the nobles and wealthy merchants. Either way, you don't want to make these guys angry.
Quote #8
It's hardly surprising, then, that despite being a new arrival he was able to hold so much power: his enormous reputation always protected him from the hatred people might otherwise have felt as a result of his pillage and violence. (19.16)
That's nice, isn't it? Who needs to fight when your reputation precedes you? Severus—the guy with the reputation here—has it made.
Quote #9
Two things led to his being both hated and despised. First, his extremely lowly background: he had been a shepherd in Thrace - everybody knew it and thought it scandalous; second, on becoming emperor he had put off going to Rome for the formal investiture and got himself a reputation for extreme cruelty by ordering his prefects in Rome and all over the empire to carry out numerous atrocities. (19.20)
Maximinus went a little too far here. Machiavelli didn't say not to try at all. He just said don't worry about your reputation too much.
Quote #10
Then if you do try to defend yourself from flatterers you run the risk of having people despise you. Because the only way to guard against flattery is to have people understand that you don't mind them telling you the truth. But when anyone and everyone can tell you the truth, you lose respect. (23.1)
Remember the story of the emperor with no clothes? No one said anything, because they didn't want to die. Back in the day it was dangerous business to tell the king the truth. Machiavelli is saying that rulers still want most people to feel this way, but that they need to keep around a few people who will make sure they don't head out the door without any clothes on.