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Remember Machiavelli's "The Prince"? “I conclude therefore that, fortune being changeful and mankind steadfast in their ways, so long as the two are in agreeme
by salamiboy 3y ago
Remember Machiavelli's "The Prince"?
“I conclude therefore that, fortune being changeful and mankind steadfast in their ways, so long as the two are in agreement men are successful, but unsuccessful when they fall out. For my part I consider that it is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under it is necessary to beat and ill-use her; and it is seen that she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly. She is, therefore, always, woman-like, a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity command her.”
- 1MachineElf 3y agoGiven the relations among genders today, I wonder how differently Machiavelli would have phrased his ideas here.
- JackFr 3y agoI appreciate this comment. Unlike this article, at least Machiavelli didn’t pretend he was doing science.
- hammock 3y agoSuch a fascinating quote. It would be as welcome in red pill dating circles as it would be in the business context
- edmundsauto 3y agoIsn’t The Prince satire? I could never believe this was seen as good advice. People have always made fun of those with their heads up their asses - and future generations have often mistook it because we believe those from the past were more direct. Similarly, Polonius from Hamlet: “to thine own self be true” but spoken by a blowhard.