Loading... The Prince is a 16th-century political treatise by the Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli. The book is an extended analysis of how to acquire and maintain political power. It includes 26 chapters and an opening dedication to Lorenzo de Medici. The dedication declares Machiavelli's intention to discuss in plain language the conduct of great men and the principles of princely government. He does so in hope of pleasing and enlightening the Medici family. The book's 26 chapters can be divided into four sections: chapters 1-11 discuss the different types of principalities or states, chapters 12-14 discuss the different types of armies and the proper conduct of a prince as military leader, chapters 15-23 discuss the character and behaviour of the prince, and chapters 24-26 discuss Italy's desperate political situation. The final chapter is a plea for the Medici family to supply the prince who will lead Italy out of humiliation.
it is much safer to be feared than loved because ...love is preserved by the link of obligation which, owing to the baseness of men, is broken at every opportunity for their advantage; but fear preserves you by a dread of punishment which never fails.
