Until Machiavelli’s writing, most philosophers of politics had defined a good leader as humble, moral and honest. “The fact is that a man who wants to act virtuously in every way necessarily comes to grief among so many who are not virtuous. Therefore, if a prince wants to maintain his rule he must be prepared not to be virtuous, and to make use of this or not according to need.” Unlike the noble princes portrayed in fairy tales, a successful ruler of a principality, as described in Machiavelli’s writings, is brutal, calculating and, when necessary, utterly immoral.īecause people are “quick to change their nature when they imagine they can improve their lot,” he wrote, a leader must also be shrewd.
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