"A wise man will see to it..." - Quote by Niccolo Machiavelli

“(A ruler) cannot and should not keep his word when to do so would go against his interests or when the reason he pledged it no longer holds.”

“Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful.”

“The promise given was a necessity of the past: the word broken is a necessity of the present.”

“Ogni nostra cognitione prÄ«cipia da sentimÄ“ti.All our knowledge has its origin in our preceptions.”

“Projection [of our own shadow] makes the whole world a replica of our own unknown face.”

“There are many kinds of beauty as people who possess it.”

“Trying to understand is like straining through muddy water. Be still and allow the mud to settle.”

“The superior man, when resting in safety, does not forget that danger may come. When in a state of security he does not forget the possibility of ruin. When all is orderly, he does not forget that disorder may come. Thus his person is not endangered, and his States and all their clans are preserved.”

“The world is ruled by letting things take their course. It cannot be ruled by interfering.”