238 things from this book went into her brain. Here are the first 6.
Machiavelli notes that people judge other men's new methods more harshly than they praise them, yet a new path is still worth taking if it offers a common benefit.
Machiavelli wonders why people treasure old statues and yet never copy the ancients in government, war and leadership, even though doctors and lawyers still rely on them.
Machiavelli says most readers enjoy history for its stories and never think to imitate it, because they assume the world has changed too much. He writes to show what can still be learned from it.
Machiavelli argues that a rich land can make people soft, so the rules must impose the hardship the land does not. Good strategy balances comfort with discipline.
Machiavelli tells how Dinocrates offered Alexander a striking city design, but had not thought about how its people would live. Alexander chose a site where people could actually make a living.
Machiavelli says reforming the institutions of a state is risky, because people accept change only once the need is clear, and by then it may be too late.
Machiavelli notes that every good form of rule slides easily into its corrupt twin, monarchy into tyranny and democracy into anarchy, so no founder can make one last by design alone.
Machiavelli sees leadership move from choosing the strongest man to choosing the most prudent and just, once people learn that wrongs done to others can be done to themselves.
Machiavelli warns that good government decays when heirs, never taught by hardship, chase pleasure and privilege. Those who have never known adversity tend to lose what their elders built.
Machiavelli holds that power lasts best when its parts check each other, as Sparta's kings, nobles and people did. A single pure form of rule tends to fail quickly.
Machiavelli says people behave well mainly when compelled, so rules are needed when good habits are missing. Anyone who builds a system should start from that realism.
Machiavelli argues that open conflict between groups in a city can produce good laws, so the noise of disagreement is not always a sign of disorder.
Machiavelli says that when people's fears are groundless, an honest person speaking openly can show them they are mistaken, because people are readily persuaded by someone they trust.
Machiavelli observes that people who already hold something often fight as hard as those who want more, because they never feel secure in what they have.
Machiavelli says that in human affairs no remedy comes free of cost, so the wise choice is the course with the least inconvenience. No path avoids every disadvantage.
Machiavelli says a well-defended, non-ambitious state is seldom attacked, yet circumstances never stand still, so plans should allow for growth and for keeping what is gained.
Machiavelli argues that people need a lawful outlet for their complaints. Unless grievances are channelled through the rules, they spill out in more dangerous ways.
Machiavelli warns that when people have no lawful way to challenge a powerful figure, they turn to violence or even foreign help. Fair channels for complaint protect everyone.
Machiavelli shows how Manlius, unable to bear a rival's renown, spread rumours to stir up trouble. Envy of another person's reputation can quietly do real damage.
Machiavelli says whispered calumny needs no evidence and spreads in the streets, while proper impeachment is open and needs trustworthy proof. A fair process for accusing people is the best protection against rumour.
Machiavelli holds that a good system is usually shaped by one capable person, but lasts longer when many people share the job of keeping it.
Machiavelli warns that a founder's absolute power should not pass to an heir, since men tend toward evil more than good and the heir may use that power for selfish ends.
Machiavelli says many capable people choose the glory of domination over lasting building, forgetting how much they lose in reputation, security and peace of mind. Reading history well should steer people to the better path.
Machiavelli notes that the Roman emperors who ruled within the law needed no bodyguards, protected by good conduct and goodwill, while cruel rulers were undone by their own behaviour.
Machiavelli urges leaders to compare good reigns, which brought security, fair dealing and trust, with cruel ones that bred fear and informers. He says a leader should choose the path that leaves people safe.
Machiavelli says the surest route to lasting honour is to restore a broken institution rather than wreck it. A leader who can rebuild without giving up power has no good excuse not to.
Machiavelli says a state is safe not because its leader rules well while alive, but because things are arranged to keep working after he is gone. Good systems outlast the people who build them.
Machiavelli says people long used to being governed by others struggle to act for themselves once freed, and can quickly be brought back under a yoke. Freedom needs people who can stand on their own.
Machiavelli observes that people rarely thank those who merely leave them unharmed, and that the benefits of security are easily taken for granted until they are lost.
Machiavelli says most people ask little more than to live securely. A leader who keeps to the laws and avoids arbitrary acts will win their contentment.
Machiavelli notes that a city already corrupted is hard to free, and that one virtuous leader can keep freedom only for his own lifetime. Lasting good needs a system, not one person.
Machiavelli says good customs need good laws to support them, and good laws need good customs to be respected. Rules and habits have to be kept in step with each other.
Machiavelli points out that new rules will not hold if the underlying structures stay the same, because those structures keep pulling things back to the old way.
Machiavelli shows how a fair process can decay slowly. When office goes to those with influence rather than merit, good people stop putting themselves forward. Watch for that drift in any group.
Machiavelli notes that an open process for proposing laws works well among good citizens. When the powerful dominate it and fear silences critics, the same openness can be turned against the people.
Machiavelli says gradual reform needs someone who spots trouble early and can persuade others, and such people are rare. Men used to one way of living are slow to change.
Machiavelli concludes that a weak leader can follow a strong one, but two weak leaders in a row will ruin a state. A leader with foresight and readiness, like Romulus, holds on to what he has.
Machiavelli says a well-ordered community should plan for a steady succession of capable leaders rather than leave it to chance.
Machiavelli argues that when a group lacks capable people, the fault usually lies with its leader, who has not trained them. He points to Tullus turning an unpractised people into fine soldiers.
Machiavelli warns against staking everything on one narrow point. If you cannot bring your whole strength to a place, defending it can be the very thing that loses the fight.
Machiavelli says a fair system judges each act on its own, so past service should not excuse wrongdoing, and a reward should not make anyone think they are above the rules.
Machiavelli holds that even a small reward for real service is prized, so a group should recognise good work even when its means are limited.
Machiavelli advises anyone reforming an organisation to keep familiar names and forms, because people accept what looks familiar and are unsettled by novelty.
Machiavelli argues that a people who have just recovered their freedom punish hard, since they remember old wrongs and suspect everyone. Fear of past harm can make a group quick to judge.
Machiavelli says ingratitude comes from greed or suspicion, and that failing to reward someone who has served you well is inexcusable and brings lasting shame.
Machiavelli notes that leaders often grow suspicious of a capable subordinate and belittle that person's success. Credit given freely builds loyalty, while jealousy wears it away.
Machiavelli warns that a free city errs in two ways, by wronging citizens who deserve reward and by suspecting those who deserve trust. Both are costly, even if they keep people careful.
Machiavelli says that when many capable people share a task, no single person becomes a threat, and jealousy has less room to grow. Spreading responsibility widely keeps a team healthy.
Machiavelli observes that harsh punishment for every failure makes leaders timid. Honest mistakes made in good faith deserve a different response from deliberate misconduct.
Machiavelli notes that Rome distinguished deliberate wrong from honest error, honouring a commander whose mistake came without bad intent. Judge the intention behind a mistake.
Machiavelli warns that kindness shown only when trouble arrives earns little thanks, because people see it as forced. Look after the people you depend on before you need them.
Machiavelli advises that when a problem has grown, it is often wiser to manage it patiently than to crush it by force, since heavy-handed moves can add fuel to the flame.
Machiavelli describes how attempts to crush Cosimo de' Medici only made him stronger. Heavy-handed moves against a popular rival often backfire.
Machiavelli advises a leader to study a problem's symptoms and act only if confident of the cure. Otherwise, waiting lets the trouble fade, while clumsy intervention can drown the plant it means to water.
Machiavelli argues that power is dangerous mainly when it is kept too long or taken outside proper process, not when it is given for a set term to meet a clear emergency. Time limits keep authority safe.
Machiavelli says a group needs a fast, time-limited way to act in a real emergency, because ordinary processes are slow. Any such power should be defined in advance by the rules.
Machiavelli warns that unchecked authority corrupts quickly, even among a good people. Any power given to a leader needs limits, a set term and checks from others.
Machiavelli praises Rome's willingness to serve under someone they had once commanded. He argues that a person who has held high office should not disdain a lesser role, since people trust those who step down with grace.
Machiavelli says a sudden law with retrospective effect, meant to fix a long-standing abuse, does more harm than good. Gradual change often lets an abuse fade on its own.
Machiavelli says a sound leadership group decides clearly and picks the least harmful course, since people forced into disobedience by necessity may later disobey by choice.
