| Excerpts from The Prince by Niccolo Machiavelli |
| Not all princes become kings... |
| "Being on the spot, disorders can be seen as they arise and can quickly be remedied, but living at a distance, they are only heard of when they get beyond remedy." To be a true civil servant, one must remember that the purpose of any government is to serve its people. Often, this purpose is corrupted. If a government loses contact with its people, it will fall. If there is only single political lesson to be learned from all of history, it is to stay in touch with one's roots, wherever they may reside. One cannot properly assess damage from a distance. Contorl is best excersiced from within, in every situtation, on every level. |
| "Men must either be caressed or else annihilated; they will revenge themselves for small injuries, but cannot do so for great ones..." If you are going to attempt something, you must be successful. You cannot go halfway and then turn back. You cannot almost complete your goal. Almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. If you must harm another, you must do so in such a way that ensures he cannot harm you in return. This is defensive offense. |
| "Men walk amost always in the paths trodden by others, proceeding in their actions by imitation...a prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent, so that if he does not attain to their greatness, at any rate he will get some tinge of it." Some say that all of the great men in the world have already been born and most have already died. If this is the pessimist's view then the optimists would say that all of the great men have yet to be born. Imagine the possibilities of men like Newton, Einstein, Mozart, are only mediocre minds. Nevertheless, most individuals will consent they they are not one of the great minds who will be honored by future generations. Does the aspiration for greatness have any worth against the achievement of greatness? Is it enough to want to be great without actually becoming great? Is imitation the result of reverence or one's hesitance to seek one's own personal greatness? |
| "For men commit injuires either through fear or through hate." Though this statement is cliche, it is improperly used. Fear and hate are often used to justify acts of wrongdoing when they should be used to eliminate the offenses. Both fear and hate can be overcome. One can make amends. To allow excuses to go unchecked and unchallenged is to condone them. Thus you sink to a level lower than the original offender. You know that it is wrong and yet you still do nothing. |
| "It cannot be called virtue to kill one's fellow-citizens, betray one's friends, be without faith, without pity, and without religion; by these methods one may indeed gain power, but not glory." Indeed, power is easy to obtain. One may take it by force, manipulate it from the hands of others, or simply be born into it. But power is an ephermeral establishment It can be lost as easily as it can be attained. Those who reside high above others make an easily-viewed target. The higher one climbs, the farther one will fall, beacuse all great empires fall, and their emperors with them. It is glory that establishes lasting authority. For one need only remind others of his great conquests to incite support. Glory does not come without effort. Not only must one win, but one must win with honor. To obtain true disciples one must be more than a role model; one must be a projection of what others wish to become. Then they will follow without reservation, without question. |
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