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."
Arghya Machiavelli writes some things from two fronts- from the eyes of people and for the Prince himself. What he says here is that the Prince should show h…moreMachiavelli writes some things from two fronts- from the eyes of people and for the Prince himself. What he says here is that the Prince should show himself as a loyal, majoritarian, religious and as a merciful, good person in front of the masses; whether he does wrong or right to claim power. Simply put: You should know how to do bad in some circumstances but should show yourself as a good guy in front of people.
Just like, let's say a guy, who watches movies and stuff but shows his friends that he studies hard, or else he won't be able to achieve "glory".(less)
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