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Niccolò Machiavelli

1469–1527 · Renaissance (Italian)

The realist of politics who judged rulers by results, not goodness.

Primary Source

Primary Source

...è molto più sicuro essere temuto che amato

Original (Italian)

“It is much safer to be feared than loved, if one cannot be both.”

The Prince, ch. 17 (1532)

Biography

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Major Works

Key Concepts

Influence & Modern Scholarship

Secondary Scholarship

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Connections

Thinkers in conversation with Niccolò Machiavelli:

Thinker

Hobbes

Thinker

Plato

Related Human Questions

Question

What Makes a Good Ruler?

Question

What is Justice?