Cognition

But it is necessary to know well how to disguise this characteristic, and to be a great pretender and dissembler; and men are so simple, and so…

Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. And I…

And you have to understand this, that a prince, especially a new one, cannot observe all those things for which men are esteemed, being often forced,…

For this reason a prince ought to take care that he never lets anything slip from his lips that is not replete with the above-named five qualities,…

For that reason, let a prince have the credit of conquering and holding his state, the means will always be considered honest, and he will be praised…

That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided…

For this reason I consider that a prince ought to reckon conspiracies of little account when his people hold him in esteem; but when it is hostile to…

But Pertinax was created emperor against the wishes of the soldiers, who, being accustomed to live licentiously under Commodus, could not endure…

1. Some princes, so as to hold securely the state, have disarmed their subjects; others have kept their subject towns distracted by factions;…

4. Without doubt princes become great when they overcome the difficulties and obstacles by which they are confronted, and therefore fortune,…

The choice of servants is of no little importance to a prince, and they are good or not according to the discrimination of the prince. And the…

There were none who knew Messer Antonio da Venafro as the servant of Pandolfo Petrucci, Prince of Siena, who would not consider Pandolfo to be a very…

But to enable a prince to form an opinion of his servant there is one test which never fails; when you see the servant thinking more of his own…

I do not wish to leave out an important branch of this subject, for it is a danger from which princes are with difficulty preserved, unless they…

Therefore a wise prince ought to hold a third course by choosing the wise men in his state, and giving to them only the liberty of speaking the truth…

A prince, therefore, ought always to take counsel, but only when he wishes and not when others wish; he ought rather to discourage every one from…

And if there are some who think that a prince who conveys an impression of his wisdom is not so through his own ability, but through the good…

But if a prince who is not inexperienced should take counsel from more than one he will never get united counsels, nor will he know how to unite them…

The previous suggestions, carefully observed, will enable a new prince to appear well established, and render him at once more secure and fixed in…

It is not unknown to me how many men have had, and still have, the opinion that the affairs of the world are in such wise governed by fortune and…

Although lately some spark may have been shown by one, which made us think he was ordained by God for our redemption, nevertheless it was…

Those who heard of the rebellion at Urbino thought they would not lose the opportunity, and at once assembled their men so as to take any town,…

Notwithstanding this, his enemies drew near to him, and approached Fossombrone, where they encountered some men of the duke and, with the aid of…

And the duke succeeded so well in this that they sent Signor Pagolo to him to negotiate for a reconciliation, and they brought their army to a…

Vitellozzo, Pagolo, and the Duke di Gravina on mules, accompanied by a few horsemen, went towards the duke; Vitellozo, unarmed and wearing a cape…

So the whole party entered Sinigalia, dismounted at the duke’s quarters, and went with him into a secret chamber, where the duke made them prisoners;…

After this there came to Castruccio those citizens of Pisa, Pistoia, and Lucca, who had been fighting at his side, and whilst recommending Pagolo…

I could recount many other stories of his sayings both witty and weighty, but I think that the above will be sufficient testimony to his high…

Man is thus metamorphosed into a thing, into many things. The planter, who is Man sent out into the field to gather food, is seldom cheered by any…

II. The next great influence into the spirit of the scholar is the mind of the Past,--in whatever form, whether of literature, of art, of…

The theory of books is noble. The scholar of the first age received into him the world around; brooded thereon; gave it the new arrangement of his…

Or, I might say, it depends on how far the process had gone, of transmuting life into truth. In proportion to the completeness of the distillation,…

Of course there is a portion of reading quite indispensable to a wise man. History and exact science he must learn by laborious reading. Colleges, in…

It is the raw material out of which the intellect molds her splendid products. A strange process too, this by which experience is converted into…

Of course, he who has put forth his total strength in fit actions has the richest return of wisdom. I will not shut myself out of this globe of…

If it were only for a vocabulary, the scholar would be covetous of action. Life is our dictionary.[52] Years are well spent in country labors; in…

Historically, there is thought to be a difference in the ideas which predominate over successive epochs, and there are data for marking the genius of…

Is it so bad then? Sight is the last thing to be pitied. Would we be blind? Do we fear lest we should outsee nature and God, and drink truth dry? I…

This idea has inspired the genius of Goldsmith,[82] Burns,[83] Cowper,[84] and, in a newer time, of Goethe,[85] Wordsworth,[86] and Carlyle.[87] This…

I was lately confirmed in these desires by hearing a sermon at church. The preacher, a man esteemed for his orthodoxy, unfolded in the ordinary…

The soul strives amain[109] to live and work through all things. It would be the only fact. All things shall be added unto it,--power, pleasure,…

The human soul is true to these facts in the painting of fable, of history, of law, of proverbs, of conversation. It finds a tongue in literature…

This voice of fable has in it somewhat divine. It came from thought above the will of the writer. That is the best part of each writer, which has…

Still more striking is the expression of this fact in the proverbs of all nations, which are always the literature of reason, or the statements of an…

A man cannot speak but he judges himself. With his will, or against his will, he draws his portrait to the eye of his companions by every word. Every…

Of the like nature is that expectation of change which instantly follows the suspension of our voluntary activity. The terror of cloudless noon,…

Experienced men of the world know very well that it is best to pay scot and lot[131] as they go along, and that a man often pays dear for a small…

The league between virtue and nature engages all things to assume a hostile front to vice. The beautiful laws and substances of the world persecute…

The good are befriended even by weakness and defect. As no man had ever a point of pride that was not injurious to him, so no man had ever a defect…

Thus do all things preach the indifferency of circumstances. The man is all. Everything has two sides, a good and an evil. Every advantage has its…

We feel defrauded of the retribution due to evil acts, because the criminal adheres to his vice and contumacy, and does not come to a crisis or…

Neither can it be said, on the other hand, that the gain of rectitude must be bought by any loss. There is no penalty to virtue; no penalty to wisdom…

Trust thyself:[156] every heart vibrates to that iron string. Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of your…

A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. With consistency a great soul has…

If any man consider the present aspects of what is called by distinction _society_, he will see the need of these ethics. The sinew and heart of…

2. It is for want of self-culture that the superstition of Traveling, whose idols are Italy, England, Egypt, retains its fascination for all educated…

I have no churlish objection to the circumnavigation of the globe, for the purposes of art, of study, and benevolence, so that the man is first…

4. What is so pleasant as these jets of affection which relume[279] a young world for me again? What is so delicious as a just and firm encounter…

If I was sure of thee, sure of thy capacity, sure to match my mood with thine, I should never think again of trifles, in relation to thy comings…

15. No two men but being left alone with each other, enter into simpler relations. Yet it is affinity that determines _which_ two shall converse.…