Machiavellianism Quotes

“It doesn't matter if justice is on your side. You have to depict your position as just.”
― Benjamin Netanyahu

“I was nine when I figured out it’s better to be respected than liked.”
― A.D. Aliwat, Alpha

“Most of us may intuitively agree about right and wrong, but we also, and far more significantly, differ enormously in the ways in which we rank the virtues and the vices.... To put cruelty first is to disregard the idea of sin as it is understood by revealed religion. Sins are transgressions of a divine rule and offenses against God; pride - the rejection of God - must always be the worst one, which gives rise to all the others. However, cruelty - the willful inflicting of physical pain on a weaker being in order to cause anguish and fear - is a wrong done entirely to another creature. When it is marked as the supreme evil it is judged so in and of itself, and not because it signifies a denial of God or any other higher norm. It is a judgment made from within the world in which cruelty occurs as part of our normal private life and our daily public practices. By putting it unconditionally first, with nothing above us to excuse or to forgive acts of cruelty, one closes off any appeal to any order other than that of actuality. To hate cruelty with utmost intensity is perfectly compatible with Biblical religiosity, but to put it first does place one irrevocably outside the sphere of revealed religion. For it is a purely human verdict upon human conduct, and so puts religion at a certain distance. The decision to put cruelty first is not, however, prompted merely by religious skepticism. It emerges, rather, from the recognition that the habits of the faithful do not differ from those of the faithless in their brutalities, and that Machiavelli had triumphed before he had ever written a line. To put cruelty first therefore is to be at odds not only with religion but with normal politics as well.”
― Judith N. Shklar, Ordinary Vices

“It is enough", this malicious man tells us, "to extinguish the line of the defeated prince." Can one read this without quivering in horror and indignation?”
― Frederick the Great, Anti-Machiavel

“BÉGEARSS [very conceited]. My dear, there’s nothing to it. To start with,there are just two things that make the world go round: morality and politics.Morality, a very footling thing, means being fair and honest. It is, so they say, the basis of a number of rather boring virtues.[...] Politics is the art of making things happen, of leading people and events by the nose: it’s child’s play. Its purpose is self-interest, its method intrigue. Always economical with the truth, it has boundless, dazzling possibilities which stand like a beacon and draw you on. As deep as Etna, it smoulders and rumbles for a long time before finally erupting into the light of day. By then nothing can stop it. It calls for superior talents and is threatened by only one thing: honest principles. [He laughs] That’s the key to all the deals that are ever made!”
― Pierre-Augustin Caron de Beaumarchais, The Barber of Seville / The Marriage of Figaro / The Guilty Mother

“The main thing is not to be deceived, that is, to lie and and simulate better than the others. All Stendhal's great novels revolve around the problem of hypocrisy, around the secret of how to deal with men and how to rule the world; they are all in the nature of text-book of political realism and courses of instruction in political amoralism. In his critique of Stendhal, Balzac already remarks that Chartreuse de Parme is a new Principe, which Machiavelli himself, if he had lived as an emigre in the Italy of nineteenth century, would not have been able to write any differently. Julien Sorel's Machiavellian motto," Qui veut les fins veut les moyens, "here acquires its classical formulation, as used repeatedly by Balzac himself, namely that one must accept the rules of the world's game, if one wants to count in the world and to take part in the play.”
― Arnold Hauser, The Social History of Art: Volume 4: Naturalism, Impressionism, The Film Age

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“No one is perfect. This is the naked truth we all have to accept. And who the hell has said there are perfect ones, by the way? We won’t ever be perfect. There are Machiavellian aspects (not that worse kind of malicious behavior) in us. One of these aspects is acting obsequiously towards others in order to gain advantage and then backstabbing them in return. I call them fawning parasites. They are the people who are fond of picking unnecessary fights and they don’t care about their actions. What’s important to them is only their side just TO JUSTIFY THEIR MEANS. Oh, I’ve just realized that the world is full of competition and others want to be just perfect jerks.”
― Bea C. Pilotin

“No one is perfect. This is the naked truth we all have to accept. And who the hell has said there are perfect ones, by the way? We won’t ever be perfect. There are Machiavellian aspects (not that worse kind of malicious behavior) in us. One of these aspects is acting obsequiously towards others in order to gain advantage and then backstabbing them in return. I call them fawning parasites. They are the people who are fond of picking unnecessary fights and they don’t care about their actions. What’s important to them is only their side just to justify their means. Oh, I’ve just realized that the world is full of competition and others want to be just perfect jerks.”
― Bea C Pilotin

“For a long time I have not said what I believed, nor do I ever believe what I say. And if sometimes I do happen to tell the truth, I hide it among so many lies that it is hard to find.”
― Niccolò Machiavelli

“All wars are in some way related to politics, and the aim of Politics is to obtain power.”
― Francis Parker Yockey, The Enemy of Europe: The Enemy of Our Enemies

“If the men were without passions, it would be forgivable to see Machiavel try to give some to them; he would be the new [[Prometheus]] bringing celestial fire to breathe life into robots. But no man is without passions. When they are moderated, they are the heart of the enterprise; but when the brake is stripped of them, they are its destruction.”
― Frederick the Great, Anti-Machiavel

“A subordinate must present a dim-witted face before his superiors, so as not to confuse his superiors with his intelligence.”
― Peter the Great

“Sahir had attempted to underline the importance of compassion in politics, thinking that it would strike a chord with Imran. After all, his party’s message centred on change, justice and decency. But Imran ended the discussion by saying “Machiavelli’s ideas work”
― Reham Khan, Reham Khan

“Machiavelli’s teaching would hardly have stood the test of Parliamentary government, for public discussion demands at least the profession of good faith. But it gave an immense impulse to absolutism by silencing the consciences of very religious kings, and made the good and the bad very much alike. Charles V. offered 5000 crowns for the murder of an enemy. Ferdinand I. and Ferdinand II., Henry III. and Louis XIII., each caused his most powerful subject to be treacherously despatched. Elizabeth and Mary Stuart tried to do the same to each other. The way was paved for absolute monarchy to triumph over the spirit and institutions of a better age, not by isolated acts of wickedness, but by a studied philosophy of crime and so thorough a perversion of the moral sense that the like of it had not been since the Stoics reformed the morality of paganism.”
― John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton, The History of Freedom and Other Essays

“Against Machiavelli's Prince, a treatise on the ploys of domination, we should set a treatise on the ruses of servitude. Its ploys are not those of the lion, but of the fox; not those of the eagle, but of the moray eel and the chameleon.”
― Jean Baudrillard, Cool Memories V: 2000 - 2004

“No one is perfect. This is the naked truth we all have to accept. And who the hell has said there are perfect ones, by the way? We won’t ever be perfect. There are Machiavellian aspects (not that worse kind of malicious behavior) in us. One of these aspects is acting obsequiously towards others in order to gain advantage and then backstabbing them in return. I call them fawning parasites. They are the people who are fond of picking unnecessary fights and they don’t care about their actions. What’s important to them is only their side just to justify their means. Oh, I’ve just realized that the world is full of competition and others want to be just perfect jerks.”
― Bea C. Pilotin

“No one is perfect. This is the naked truth we all have to accept. And who the hell has said there are perfect ones, by the way? We won’t ever be perfect. There are Machiavellian aspects (not that worse kind of malicious behavior) in us. One of these aspects is acting obsequiously towards others in order to gain advantage and then backstabbing them in return. I call them fawning parasites. They are the people who are fond of picking unnecessary fights and they don’t care about their actions. What’s important to them is only their side just to justify their means. Oh, I’ve just realized that the world is full of competition and others want to be just perfect jerks.”
― Bea Pilotin

“Power, in its many forms, is an irresistible force that captivates the human mind and drives our ambitions. The desire for power is a universal trait, and as a Machiavellian dreamer, it is essential to recognize and embrace this truth. By understanding the lure of power, you can harness its potential and make it the cornerstone of your dreams.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“The first step in embracing the lure of power is to identify the specific pillars of power that you seek. These can include wealth, influence, control over others, or any other aspects of power that resonate with your ambitions. Reflect on what power means to you and how it can serve your dreams. By pinpointing the precise elements of power you desire, you can better focus your efforts and strategies.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“The allure of power is magnetic, drawing people and resources toward those who wield it. As you pursue your dreams, understand that power is not only a means to an end but also a force that can attract new opportunities and alliances. Embrace the magnetic nature of power and use it to your advantage as you navigate the complex web of human interactions.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual

“As you wield your influence and control, be prepared to make sacrifices and face the consequences of your actions. Understand that, in the pursuit of power, you may lose friends, alienate allies, and create enemies. Embrace the darker aspects of power and accept the costs that come with it.”
― Kevin L. Michel, Machiavellian Dreams: A Manual