Princes and governments are far more dangerous than other elements within society.

The main foundations of every state, new states as well as ancient or composite ones, are good laws and good arms you cannot have good laws without good arms, and where there are good arms, good laws inevitably follow.

Hence it comes about that all armed Prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed Prophets have been destroyed.

To understand the nature of the people one must be a prince, and to understand the nature of the prince, one must be of the people.

Of mankind we may say in general they are fickle, hypocritical, and greedy of gain.