Author(s): Machiavelli Niccolo

Classics

Written in the 16th century by Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince instructs rulers in the merciless pursuit of winning and maintaining political power. In Machiavelli's view, the cold-blooded facts of effective rule should outweigh abstract ideals and ethical constraints. For "it is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."