Matcha-velli

number 1 machiavelli fan 🧋

[matcha-velli]

“He who builds on the people, builds on mud”

Niccolo Machiavelli

Another reason for a prince to rule through means other than love since the people’s affection is fickle

[matcha-velli]

“God is not willing to do everything, and thus take away our free will and that share of glory which belongs to us”

Niccolo Machiavelli

This concept is really interesting on how machiavelli views god and free will and how free will is only necessary to give humanity glory

[matcha-velli]

"Men sooner forget the death of their father than the loss of their patrimony"

Niccolo Machiavelli

A subject will remember the death of their king over the death of father showing the impact of how powerful a ruler can be in regard to control of their subjects

[matcha-velli]

"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,"

Niccolo Machiavelli

This quote aptly summarize Machiavelli’s values of power and ambition. To machiavelli, all the greatest people will be in hell and therefore it would be a pleasure to meet them verses the less ambition weaker people in heaven.

[matcha-velli]

“Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas in antiquity.”

Niccolo Machiavelli

The best teacher is the past itself. Everything that will happen in the future has a root in the past and through this knowledge will mankind gain a new ability to predict the future.

[matcha-velli]

“Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great”

Niccolo Machiavelli

In life, one’s determination depends on how difficult the task is. As long as you have the right mindset, you can do anything

[matcha-velli]

“nature creates few men brave industry and training makes many”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

By nature men are not very brave or even have most skills but instead all these qualities can be developed and grown in a man

[matcha-velli]

“it is better to act and repent than not act and regret”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

if one does not act they have no idea of all the possibilities they are missing out so it is better to act and deal with the consequences then to never know the results

[matcha-velli]

“Never was anything great achieved without danger”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

as they say if theres no risk then there’s no reward

or

risk it for the biscuit

[tail-feathers]

Thomas Eakins, Sailing

This is mankind’s common failure, never to anticipate storms when the sea is calm. - Machiavelli

[matcha-velli]

The Allegory of Peace and Justice by Corrado Giaquinto

“In the actions of all men…one judges by the result”

- Niccolo Machiavelli

[matcha-velli]

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

This is why machiavelli says no one ever sees the real person underneath because no one is willing to go beneath the surface to really understand a person.

[matcha-velli]

“It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

It is not the actual status that gives men honor but instead the value that men place in titles gives them honor. A man gain honor not because they get the title but because they have great nobility of character that warrants a title

[matcha-velli]

“he who seeks to deceive will always find someone who will allow himself to be deceived”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

Machiavelli is very cynical about the nature of mankind. He believes most people would rather take the easy way out with a comforting lie than harsh reality. This is why it is very easy to deceive many people.

[matcha-velli]

“never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception”

-Niccolo Machiavelli

Deception is the most optimal way to gain anything because with physical force there is almost a guaranteed downside (guaranteed enemy or themselves being harmed in the process) while deception does have a chance of no downside if the one being deceived doesn’t realize

[matcha-velli]

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

One possible fear a ruler may have is people around them lying and only telling them what they want to hear. A solution around this is by showing a ruler is receptive to all feedback so it’s instead more detriment to lie or flatter.

[matcha-velli]

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

-Niccolo Machiavelli

When establishing their power a ruler must fully crush anyone in their way so that they don’t even consider retaliating.

[matcha-velli]

“This is to be asserted in general of men, that they are ungrateful, fickle, false, cowardly, covetous and as long as you succeed they are yours entirely; they will offer you their blood, property, life and children when the need is far distant; but when it approaches they turn against you.”

-Niccolo Machiavelli