The Prince - 5 - Be Self-Reliant, Be Lucky, And Don't Be Hated
Part 5 (Chapters 20 - 26)
Quote
I consider it to be true that Fortune is the arbiter of one half of our actions, but that she still leaves the control of the other half, or almost that, to us.
Notes
🔥 There are different circumstances where it's best to arm your subjects (earn their loyalty and support) and others where it's best to disarm them (concentrate power in your own army).
🔥 "Many people judge that a wise prince must cunningly foster some hostile action, whenever he has the opportunity, so that in repressing it his greatness will emerge all the more."
🔥 Strangely, a prince can more easily win friends among the people who are suspicious of him in the beginning. People who supported his takeover, Machiavelli says, did so because they were unhappy with the state before and it's no guarantee they'll change and become happy with you. In fact, more likely they won't.
🔥 Sometimes building a personal fortress is a good idea. Other times it's not. If foreigners are a bigger threat than the internal threats, don't have a personal fortress. Focus on the state's defense as a whole. But, if the internal threats are the bigger ones, then you should have a fortress.
🔥 However, Machiavelli reminds the reader, the important thing is not whether or not you have a fortress for yourself. The important thing is whether or not your people hate you. Things will be much better if you're not hated.
🔥 "Nothing makes a prince more esteemed than a great undertaking and showing himself to be extraordinary." It's also important to provoke discussions and achieve a reputation for outstanding intelligence.
🔥 In talking about how to win esteem, he mentions the king of Spain, Ferdinand of Aragon. "And thus he has always accomplished and organized great deeds, that have always kept the minds of his subjects surprised, amazed, and occupied with their outcome. One action of his would spring from another in such a way that, between one and the other, he would never give men enough time to be able to work calmly against him." That kind of reminds me of someone else...
🔥 In disagreeing with others, a prince should declare his side openly, instead of remaining neutral. "He who is not your friend will request your neutrality, and he who is your friend will ask you to disclose your intentions by taking up arms."
🔥 People shouldn't be afraid that their money or property will be taken away or taxed too heavily. Instead, they should be rewarded for working hard.
🔥 The prince should keep people occupied with spectacles and festivals. And he should visit different interest groups while still maintaining his dignity as prince.
🔥 One indicator of a ruler's prudence is the quality, intelligence, and loyalty of the people he surrounds himself with. A prince's ministers should always be thinking about the prince, never about themselves. The prince should make sure his minister is given wealth, responsibility, and honor so that the minister won't desire more or have any incentive to betray the prince.
🔥 Avoiding flatterers can be hard. You have to surround yourself with people who will tell you the truth and speak freely. But only your trusted advisors can have that privilege. Listen to what they say and then make up your own mind later.
🔥 A prince should seek advice when he wants to, not when others want him to. He must also not be totally dependent on his advisors. "A prince who is not wise on his own cannot be well-advised."
🔥 "Not to consider the possibility of a storm in good weather is a common defect among men."
🔥 Your plan cannot be to rely on someone else for help when things go bad. "Only those defenses that rely on you yourself and your own virtue are good, certain, and lasting."
🔥 A prince must adapt his actions to the times. Certain things will work or not work, depending on the conditions of the times you're living in. "Since Fortune varies and men remain obstinate in their ways, men prosper when the two are in harmony and fail to prosper when they are not in accord."
🔥 Fortune is like a woman, says Machiavelli, so it is better to be impetuous with her rather than cautious (...?).
🔥 When a state is made low, that's the perfect opportunity for a new prince to step in and restore it to strength. Machiavelli notes to the new prince that he's writing to that Italy is in such a place now.
Thoughts
It is interesting that Machiavelli's most important rule for a prince is to not be hated. It's not that people should love you, or even that they should like you, only that they shouldn't hate you.
So even though the caricature of Machiavelli might be that he has no moral principles and is okay with lying and deception, or almost any action that will maintain you in power, he is at least aware that it's much harder to maintain power if everyone hates you. You can't go on mistreating people however you want. You need people to feel some loyalty towards you (even if that's based on fear), and you need people to not hate you.