The Prince - Niccolo Machiavelli

 "...it is far safer to be feared than love." This is probably the most famous phrase from this book (as translated by (Peter Constantine). Might be the only one that people know of. After reading this book in its entirety, I suspect that people often focused on this phrase and, in my opinon, misconstrued Machiavelli's advise. There were probably leaders who chose to do so to justify their actions.

Machiavelli's advise is definitely not summarised by just this one phrase. Here are some quotes from the book to paint a more holistice picture of that famous phrase (emphasis mine):

"    This raises the question whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the contrary. My reply is that one would like to be both, but as it is difficult to combine love and fear, if one has to choose between them it is far safer to be feared than loved. Beucase it can be said of men that they are ungrateful and inconstant, simulators and dissiumilators, and that they are hungry for profit and quick to evade danger. While you do them good they are devoted to you, offering you their lives, their possessions, their children, as I have said before - but only as long as danger is far off. The momnent danger is at hand, they turn away. A prince who based everything on their word without taking other precautions is ruined, because friendships acquired at a price and not through magnamity and nobility of spirit can be bought but not owned, nor do they bring a return in difficult times. Men have less compunction about harming someone who has made himself loved than harming someone who ahs made himself feared, becuase love is held in place by chains of obligation, which, as men are evil, will quickly be broken if self-interest is at stake. But fear is held in place by a dread of punishment, which one can always rely on.

    The prince, however, must make himself feared so that he avoids hatred even if he does not acquire love. Being feared and not hated go well together, and the prince can always achieve this if he does not touch the property of the women of his citizens and subjects. If he finds he must execute someone, he should do so only if there is adequate justifcation and a manifest cause. But above all he must refrain from seizing the property of others, because a man is quicker to forget the death of his father than the loss of his patrimony."

 

"    Yet when a prince is with his army and has a multitude of soldiers under his command, he must not scuple about gaining a reputation for cruelty, becuase without it he can never keep his army united or willing to follow him into battle."

"    Returning to the question of being feared or loved, I conclude that since men love at their own will and fear at the will of the prince, a wise prince must build a foundation on what is his own, and not on what belongs ot others. At the same time, he must do all in his power to escape being hated, as I have already said. "

"    Consequently, although a prince need not have all the good qualities that I have mentioned, it is most necessary for him to appear to have them. I will even be so bold as to say that it actually does a prince harm to have those good qualities and always observe them. But appearing to have them will benefit him. Of course, it is best to both seem and be merciful, loyal, humane, upright, and scruplulous. And yet one's spirit should be calculated in such a way that one can, if need be, turn one's back on these qualities and become the opposite. It is vital to udnerstand that a prince, particularly a new prince, cannot afford to cultivate attributes for which men are considered good. In order to maintain the state, a prince will often be compelled to work against what is merciful, loyal, humane, upright, and scrupulous. He muist have a spirit that can change depending on the winds and variations of Fortune, and, as I have said above, he must not, if he is able, distance himself from what is good, but must also, when necessary, know how to prefer what is bad.

    Therefore a prince must be very careful that no word escape his  mouth that is not filled with the five qualities I have mentioned. When one sees and hears him, he should be a paragon of mercy, loyalty, humaneness, integrity, and scrupulousness. Indeed, there is nothing more important than appearing to have this last quality. Men in general judge more with the eye than with the hand, because everyone can see, but few can feel. Everyone sees what you seem to be, but few feel what you are, and those few will not dare oppose the opinion of the many who have the majesty of the state behind them. In the actions of all men, and particularly the prince, where there is no higher justice to appeal to, one looks at the outcome. "

 

"    ...so that the prince may note (as I have to some extent mentioned) how to avoid the things that would make him hated and scorned. If he manages to do this he will have accomplished his duty, and will not face any risk should he perpetrate other infamies. What will make him hated above all, as I have said, is rapaciousness and seizing propety and women of his subjects, which he must refrain from. Men will generally live contentedlty as long as their property and honour are not touched, and the prince need only counter the ambition of a few, which can be done easily and in many ways. What will make the prince contemptible is for him to be perceived as undependable, frivolous, effeminate, pusillanimous and irresolute, against which a  prince must guard himself as from the plague. He must do his utmost so that his actions will be perceived as imbued with greatness, courage, dignity and power. And as for the private affairs of his subjects, he must be adamant that his decisions are irrevocable. He must maintain a standing such that no man would venture to cheat or deceive him. "

 

"    When external affairs are stable, the prince must still fear that his subjects might conspire secretly against him. But he will be quite safe from this as long as he avoids being hated or despised and keeps the populace on his side. It is important that he do this, as I have said at length above. One of the strongest remedies a prince has against conspiracy is not to be hated by the masses, because conspirators are invariably certain that they will satisfy the populace by killing the prince. But if on the other hand they think they will enrage the populace, they will not pluck up the courage for such an act, because the difficulties facing conspirators are infinite. Experience has taught that there have been many conspiracies, but few that have ended well, because whoever conspires cannot do so alone, nor can he attract cohorts other than those who he believes are malcontents. And the moment you take a malcontent into your confidence, you give him the opportunity to become quite content, pursuing his own advantage by betraying you. So much so, that seeing the certain gain in that direction, and seeing doubt and peril in the other, it must be a rare friend or a most determined enemy of the prince who will keep his word to you. "

 

"     A prince must also prove himself someone who admires ability, furthering skilful men and honouring those who excel in what they do. He must also make certain that his citizens can go about their work unhampered -- in trade, agriculture, and all the other professions -- so that no on will be afraid of accumulating possessions out of fear that they might be taken away, or afraid of starting a business for fear of taxes. The prince must reward whoever wants to do these things and whoever wants to improve either the city or the state in some way. Furthermore, at certain times of the year, he has to keep the population busy with feasts and spectacles, and, as every city is divided into guilds and clans, he must also keep those groups in mind, meeting with them from tiem to time, and always showing himself as humane and munificent. He must always remain within the bounds of his majesty and dignity, which must never be absent. "