Machiavelli's The Prince

Machiavelli's The Prince 10 Key Quotes In the 16th century, Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince, a manual on leadership, widely considered to be one of the first works of modern philosophy. However, it is considered by many to be dark philosophy because in The Prince, Machiavelli espouses the idea that seeking personal gain justifies the use of immoral means. Read the following quotes from The Prince and answer the discussion questions. Write at least two discussion questions you can ask your classmates. Quotes from The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli: Quote 1: "If you will diligently read and consider it, you will detect in it one of my deepest desires, which is that you will come to that greatness which fortune and your own qualities promise you." Dedication Quote 2: "At this point one may note that men must be either pampered or annihilated. They avenge light offenses; they cannot avenge severe ones; hence, the harm one does to a man must be such as to obviate any fear of revenge." Chapter 3 Quote 3: "People are by nature changeable. It is easy to persuade them about some particular matter, but it is hard to hold them to that persuasion. Hence it is necessary to provide that when they no longer believe, they can be forced to believe." Chapter 6 Quote 4: "It is the nature of men to feel as much bound by the favors they do as by those they receive." Chapter 10 Quote 5: "A prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline, for that is the only art expected of a ruler. And it is of such great value that it not only keeps hereditary princes in power, but often raises men of lowly condition to that rank." Chapter 14 Quote 6: "Many men have imagined republics and principalities that never really existed at all. Yet the way men live is so far removed from the way they ought to live that anyone who abandons what is for what should be pursues his downfall rather than his preservation; for a man who strives after goodness in all his acts is sure to come to ruin, since there are so many men who are not good." Chapter 15 Quote 7: "Only the expenditure of one's own resources is harmful; and, indeed, nothing feeds upon itself as liberality does. The more it is indulged, the fewer are the means to (continued on the next page) Continued from Quote 7: Indulge it further. As a consequence, a prince becomes poor and contemptible or, to escape poverty, becomes rapacious and hateful. Of all the things he must guard against, hatred and contempt come first, and liberality leads to both. Therefore it is better to have a name for miserliness, which breeds disgrace without hatred, than, in pursuing a name for liberality, to resort to rapacity, which breeds both disgrace and hatred." Chapter 16 Quote 8: "Here a question arises: whether it is better to be loved than feared, or the reverse. The answer is, of course, that it would be best to be both loved and feared. But since the two rarely come together, anyone compelled to choose will find greater security in being feared than in being loved.... Love endures by some bond which men, being scoundrels, may break whenever it serves their advantage to do so; but fear is supported by the dread of pain, which is ever present." Chapter 17 Quote 9: "Therefore a prince will not actually need to have all the qualities previously mentioned, but he must surely seem to have them. Indeed, I would go so far as to say that having them all and always conforming to them would be harmful, while appearing to have them would be useful." Chapter 18 Quote 10: "From it a noteworthy lesson may be drawn: princes should delegate unpopular duties to others while dispensing all favors directly themselves, I say again that a prince must respect the nobility, but avoid the hatred of the common people." Chapter 19 Name: Type Here Instructions: Thoughtfully and thoroughly answer the questions below and be ready to discuss them in a Socratic seminar. Use extra paper as needed. 1. With which of the quotes from The Prince do you agree? Explain why you agree. Type Here 2. Re-read quote #2. Do you agree or disagree? What are the consequences of a leader agreeing with and Implementing this philosophy? Type Here 3. Do you see any qualities espoused by Machiavelli in The Prince in any local, national or international leaders? Explain your answer. Type Here 4. Re-read quote #3. Do you agree with Machiavelli that people are "changeable" and can be forced to believe? Explain your answer using examples from history or personal experience. Type Here 5. Think of famous leaders from history. Can you think of any who embody Machiavelli's philosophy on leadership? If so, explain. Type Here 6. Re-read quote #5. The Prince was written in the 16th century. How have ideas about the purpose of leadership changed over time? Give examples. Type Here 7. Re-read quote #6. Do you agree that "the way men live is so far removed from the way they ought to live that anyone who abandons what is - for what should be - pursues his downfall rather than his preservation"? If people give up on their ideals, what are the consequences to society? Type Here 8. With which of the quotes from The Prince do you disagree? Explain your answer. Type Here 9. Re-read quote #8. Considering leadership, what truth (if any) do you see in Machiavelli's statement? Explain your answer. Type Here 10. In The Prince. Machiavelli separates politics and ethical behavior. Do you think politics and ethics should be practiced hand in hand or separately? Explain your answer using examples, If possible. Type Here Now write two questions of your own to ask your classmates during the discussion. Good questions are open-ended questions that relate to life in general. Think of the themes the reading addresses and issues you genuinely would like to hear discussed. 1. Type Here 2