Mandatory reading
From: Niccolò Machiavelli
Italian philosopher, politician, and writer.
His work The Prince and its 12 most impactful quotes:
1. Everyone sees what you appear to be; few experience what you really are.
2. It is a common flaw of men not to worry about the storm during the calm.
3. A man who wants to be good among so many who are not will bring about his own ruin.
4. Men offend more to the one they love than to the one they fear.
5. If one is to hurt a man, it should be done so severely that his vengeance cannot be feared.
Severity should be sudden, so that the unexpected is less defensible.
Benefits, on the other hand, should be given gradually, so that they can be enjoyed more.
It does not matter how good a person you are: we are all the villains in someone else's story.
So enjoy your role and, at the very least, be a memorable villain.
6. There is nothing so difficult to handle, so doubtful in its success, or so uncertain as leading people.
7. Wisdom consists in knowing how to distinguish the nature of the problem and in choosing the lesser evil.
8. An army of sheep led by a lion is more to be feared than an army of lions led by a sheep.
9. Politics has no relation to morality.
10. Men are ungrateful, fickle, pretend to be what they are not, and conceal what they are.
11. The prudent man does not lament the things he cannot change, but strives to improve those he can.
12. Virtue is what makes a man loved and respected by others, and cunning is what makes a man feared and respected.