Niccolò Machiavelli

Principles are our summary of their public statements.

• Design for Growth or Stability

  Management

  A founder must decide early if they want a small, stable organization or a large, expanding one, as the internal structures for each are incompatible.

  Supporting quotes

  • “in all our deliberations we ought to consider where we are likely to encounter least inconvenience, and accept that as the course to be preferred”

    “all human affairs being in movement, and incapable of remaining as they are, they must either rise or fall”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Adapt institutions to current corruption

  Management

  Organizations must change their internal rules as the character of their people or market changes, because old rules in a new context can become harmful.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Alternate strengths for stability

  Strategy

  A period of peaceful consolidation can follow a period of aggressive growth, but prolonged weakness will eventually lead to ruin.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Ingratitude as a defensive tool

  Strategy

  In uncorrupted systems, suspicion of powerful individuals can actually preserve the organization's freedom by preventing any one person from becoming too dominant.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Beware of honorable appearances

  Leadership

  Ambitious individuals often gain influence through seemingly praiseworthy acts like financial aid or protection, which can lead to unchecked power.

  Supporting quotes

  • “it is most dangerous to cope with him; it being dangerous, as I have before explained, to contend with a disorder which has already made progress in a city.”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Beware of Spirited But Ruinous Paths

  Strategy

  Avoid choosing a strategy just because it looks bold or aggressive; often the most 'spirited' course hides the greatest risk of failure.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Trust the Collective Filter

  Decisions

  A group of people, when presented with competing ideas, is often better at selecting the most rational path than a single leader driven by passion.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid Growth That Weakens You

  Strategy

  Expansion is only beneficial if it increases the core strength of the organization; acquiring more responsibility or territory without more resources leads to ruin.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Respect the spirit of freedom

  Negotiation

  People who value their independence will never accept an unfair peace; it is better to make them partners than to try to keep them as resentful subjects.

  Supporting quotes

  • “when we have to pass sentence upon powerful States accustomed to live in freedom, we must either destroy them utterly, or else treat them with much indulgence”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Strategic Dissimulation

  Negotiation

  When in a position of weakness, it is wise to hide one's true intentions and adapt to the leader's preferences until an opportunity arises.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Decisive Action Against Threats

  Leadership

  A leader cannot overcome fundamental opposition through patience alone; they must be willing to take harsh measures to secure a new order.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Discourses on the First Decade of Titus Livius  (opens in a new tab)

• Boldness Overcomes Uncertainty

  Risk

  Fortune favors the audacious and the young because they are less scrupulous and more willing to command circumstances to their will.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Machiavelli, Volume I  (opens in a new tab)

• Avoid the Trap of Luxury

  Resilience

  Success and long periods of peace often lead to complacency and a decline in the very skills that built the organization.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Machiavelli, Volume I  (opens in a new tab)

• Balance Discipline With Fair Pay

  Hiring

  Effective management requires both the enforcement of rules through punishment and the reliable payment of wages.

  Supporting quotes

  • “The armie ought not to knowe what the Capitaine purposeth to doo”

  2 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

• Understand Asset Limitations

  Risk

  Heavy investments can become liabilities if they are too rigid or unable to recover from a fall.

  Supporting quotes

  • “I judge, that there ought not to be made more accompt of horses, then in olde time was made, for that (as afore is sayde) manye times in our dayes, they have with the footemen receyved shame”

    “I say therefore, that those people or kingdomes, whiche shall esteeme more the power of horses, then the power of footemen be alwaies weake, and subjecte to all ruine”

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

• Master the Small Units First

  Management

  Before planning for the entire organization or a major event, one must define and practice the specific methods for individual units.

  1 more supporting quote is in the member records.

  Source Machiavelli, Volume I  (opens in a new tab)

• Adapt Form to Function

  Strategy

  A leader must adjust the formation of their team based on whether they are acting alone or as part of a larger group to ensure protection and efficiency.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Machiavelli, Volume I  (opens in a new tab)

• Optimize Resource Allocation

  Management

  Avoid unnecessary overhead by keeping support staff lean and focusing resources on the core strength of the organization.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Machiavelli, Volume I  (opens in a new tab)

• Balance morale with control

  Management

  Use high energy and noise to build initial momentum, but transition to silence to ensure instructions are heard during execution.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Machiavelli, Volume I  (opens in a new tab)

• Quit while ahead

  Risk

  Recognize when a goal has been honorably achieved and avoid tempting fortune further when conditions are unstable.

  3 more supporting quotes are in the member records.

  Source Machiavelli, Volume I  (opens in a new tab)