The Prince

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human nature does not change. In general Machiavelli
thought people were ungrateful, selfish, and insincere people, who only care
about themselves. Therefore the government must take account for man’s true
nature and use his qualities for its purposes. Machiavelli also explained that a
ruler who intends to be successful must be prepared to do bad things when
necessary. He must sometimes caress, sometimes hurt, sometimes forgive, and
sometimes punish. This requirement must override all moral judgments, and
when making the decision, the ruler must act without hesitation. Hesitation
would project “false wisdom”.
Another, and probably the most important concept of political success is
the idea of virtue. Virtue means strength, intelligence, and courage, the
necessary qualities of any human being. Machiavelli felt that the quality of virtue
was found in some of the world’s most important leaders; Moses, Cyrus, and
Romulus to name a few. Governments ruled by an individual ...

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