"A wise ruler ought never to keep..." - Quote by Niccolo Machiavelli
A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests.
More by Niccolo Machiavelli
“Men are less hesitant about harming someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared because love is held together by a chain of obligation which, since men are wretched creatures, is broken on every occasion in which their own interests are concerned; but fear is sustained by dread of punishment which will never abandon you.”
“Every little advantage is of great moment when men have to come to blows.”
“For this is the tragedy of man circumstances change, but he does not.”
More on Leadership
“When the president of the United States goes out at, you know, 8:00 o'clock in the morning and then his own party votes gets him 2 to 1 in the house, you know that somehow a message isn't getting out. It takes real leadership.”
“A man has to learn that he cannot command things, but that he can command himself; that he cannot coerce the wills of others, but that he can mold and master his own will: and things serve him who serves Truth; people seek guidance of him who is master of himself.”
“When a leader reaches out in passion, he is usually met with an answering passion.”
More on Pragmatism
“[Pragmatism's] only test of probable truth is what works best in the way of leading us, what fits every part of life best and combines with the collectivity of experience's demands, nothing being omitted.”
“However beautiful the strategy, you should occasionally look at the results.”
“In order to govern, the question is not to follow out a more or less valid theory but to build with whatever materials are at hand. The inevitable must be accepted and turned to advantage.”