Machiavelli's The Prince

Machiavelli's THE PRINCE
Assigned Text: Machiavelli, The Prince,  (J.M.Dent, Everyman, 1995
Text I read: Machiavelli, The Prince, Transl. Luigi Ricci, Oxford University Press' World's Classics, New American Library, 1952, New York, Intro by Christian Gauss



The Prince was another one of those texts on my "TO READ" list.  I'd actually started to read this many years ago but never got very far.  I felt this text was very suited to the corporate or political world.  It was a very cold text and hard to read because of that, especially the 1st half where Machiavelli writes about killing all your enemies and if you are going to be brutal and cruel, do it all at once when you 1st take power and people will be overwhelmed by the amount of violence and brutality occurring all at once.  Then later, you can be a bit more benevolent and people will start to think you are a good leader and forget about your initial brutality.

pg 36
...and to possess them securely it suffice that the family of the princes which formerly governed them be extinct..."

It was strange - and a little sad - to think about Niccolo Machiavelli (1470-1503) writing this in exile from Florence.  An old man, trying to still be useful and needed.

In the latter parts of the book he seemed to have some thoughts that were a little more relevant to spheres other than the corporate or political:
He writes about how a prince can avoid being despised and hated.  That it is better to be loved than to rely on fortresses (not because it's  good to be loved but because it's more effective in retaining power).

He had a great observation (pg 39) about problems (in a kingdom or society) that sums up much of medicine today.  He wrote about things which are easy to cure but difficult to recognize vs things which are easy to recognize but difficult to cure.

He spoke (pg 168) about it being easier to keep people who were contented before you took over even if these people are initially your enemy, than to keep people who were discontented but may have been supportive initially - as the latter will probably remain discontented and then start to oppose you and undermine or actively fight you.  It made me think about the US presidential debates going on now and how it's all for the very small undecided vote.  For all the work, money and effort being expended to try and sway the undecided vote, if the voter is undecided because they are unhappy, they probably won't be a useful demographic nor a permanent supporter.

He writes about defendign yourself and the use of fortresses and says (pg 108)
"A prince who fears his own people more than the foreigners ought to build fortresses"
"... the best fortress to be found is the love of the people"

He also has some wise observations about keeping people's support, writing that a prince has to make sure that his subjects can prosper securely, that they will benefit from their hard work or even innovation, that the rewards won't be taken from them (either by excessive taxes or by outright force).

He also writes about how you can judge leaders (pg 114): "First impression of a ruler and of his brain is from seeing the men that he has about him."

He then goes on to list the various intellects that there are: "Three kinds of brains, the one that understands things unassisted, the other understands things when shown by others, and the third understands neither alone nor with the explanations of others."  Machiavelli says the 1st is excellent and the 3rd is useless, a harsh but likely practical judgement.  He writes about judging ministers by whether they think more of themselves or their "prince" and says the prince should reward them and give them honours so that they don't seek them elsewhere.

He also devotes a chapter (albeit short) to flattery.  He says there is no other way of guarding one's self against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth; but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect."  Machiavelli's strategy is to have trusted advisers (likely with the 1st kind of mind) around you that know you wish them to speak the truth to you, ask and encourage them at every opportunity to speak the truth to you (but only when you ask) and don't encourage it in others or unasked for.

Wisely he also says (pg 119) that it is a "common fault of man not to reckon on storms in fair weather".  He counsels not to rely on others but ultimately to only rely on yourself: nobody would desire to fall because he believed that he would then find some one to pick him up."  "Only those defences are good, certain and durable, which depend on yourself alone and your own ability".

Regarding LUCK, he thinks that Fortune is the ruler of 1/2 of our actions but that she allows the other half to be governed by us.  He also has some very acute observations to make about luck, fate and people's abilities or strengths or ways of doing things (he calls them procedures in this translation), saying that (pg 121)
"he is happy whose mode of procedure accords with the needs of the times, and similarly he is unfortunate whose mode of procedure is opposed to the times."  This is probably the most relevant observation as far as being applicable to today (or applicable forever).
He wrote that it is hard for men to change their procedure either because they can't change or because "having always prospered by walking a path, he cannot persuade himself that it is well to leave it."  Again we could probably do a forensic exam of the successes and failures of the business world and be able to categorize the leaders by these principles.

On the reason:passion scale, The Prince comes in at a solid 10 on the 10-point scale.