Niccolò Machiavelli

1469–1527 · Florentine political philosopher and statesman

Niccolò Machiavelli (1469–1527) was a Florentine diplomat, historian and political theorist whose treatise The Prince (written 1513) made his name a byword for hard-edged statecraft. His major works — The Prince, the Discourses on Livy, the Art of War and the Florentine Histories — return repeatedly to the theme that founding or reforming a state is dangerous, risky work. That reputation makes him a magnet for punchy “risk and greatness” aphorisms, many of which he never actually wrote.

Traced to source

5 quotes we’ve traced to Niccolò Machiavelli

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are”

Verified

“It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both”

Verified

“It is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting”

Verified

“Never was anything great achieved without danger”

Attributed

“The ends justify the means”

Disputed

Did they really say it?

Thought Niccolò Machiavelli said something else?

Type a quote you think Niccolò Machiavelli said — we’ll tell you what we know, or point you to the best sources.