There is no other way of guarding oneself 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. The one who adapts his policy to the times prospers, and likewise that the one whose policy clashes with the demands of the times does not. It is not titles that honor men, but men that honor titles. I'm not interested in preserving the status quo; I want to overthrow it. Hence it comes about that all armed prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed prophets have been destroyed. A wise ruler ought never to keep faith when by doing so it would be against his interests. There is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct or more uncertain in its success than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. |