A Goodreads user asked this question about The Prince:
Niccolo Machiavelli seems confused (and hence, confusing to me). Of course, he has written a lot of evil in the book, and then he writes something as quoted below. What's the account/motivation behind him writing the following? "It cannot be called ingenuity to kill one's fellow citizens, to betray friends, to be without faith, without mercy, without religion; by these means, one can acquire power but not glory."
Mary The prince is a frank exposition on the division between the idealism we profess and the reality that we live. My recollection is that Machiavelli oft…moreThe prince is a frank exposition on the division between the idealism we profess and the reality that we live. My recollection is that Machiavelli often summarizes that division in passages like the one you have quoted. He acknowledges the reality then "tempers" it by contrasting the more real - power - with the more ideal - glory.

Another quote along this line (if I remember correctly) is "We should always seek to emulate our savior, Jesus Christ, and forgive our enemies ... but if we do, we will be killed." (less)
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