The Prince · Part 3, The people around you · Idea 10 of 12

Ask Widely, Decide Alone

Machiavelli on taking advice without losing your own mind. From The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, 1513.

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Where it comes from.

In January 1508, Machiavelli went north into the Alps, to Bolzano. There Maximilian I held court, and that winter he took the title of emperor. Florence needed to know what he planned for Italy.

It was hard to find out. Maximilian told no one his plans. Machiavelli stayed until June, watching the emperor change his mind again and again.

3 more screens in the appThe rest of the story, and where it turns up in your own week.
The idea in short

In chapter 23 of The Prince, Machiavelli warned that courts fill with flatterers. His cure was to choose a few wise people and ask them about everything. Then decide yourself, and hold to it. His example was Emperor Maximilian, who asked no one, then gave way to whoever pushed back.

Get the truth before you decide, then let the decision stand. Practical advice: before your next big call, ask three people who will be honest, then set a date and decide.

Well established · checked against 6 sources

Make it yours.

Make it your step

Write down who you’ll ask about your next big decision, and the day you’ll decide.

Ask your council

“I keep changing my mind after I decide, whenever someone pushes back. How do I make a choice and keep it?”

Sources.

  1. The Prince, translated by W. K. Marriott, Niccolò Machiavelli (Project Gutenberg), 1513The text
  2. Massimiliano I d’Asburgo (Emanuele Cutinelli-Rendina), Enciclopedia machiavelliana (Treccani), 2014
  3. Niccolò Machiavelli, Wikipedia (Italian), 2026
  4. Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, Wikipedia, 2026
  5. Niccolò Machiavelli, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2019
  6. Machiavelli, Niccolò (Giorgio Inglese), Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Treccani), 2006

The Prince, in 12 ideas.

  1. 1
    See It As It IsMachiavelli on how people really live, not how they ought to
  2. 2
    Catch the Fever EarlyMachiavelli on dealing with trouble while it is still small
  3. 3
    Change Has Lukewarm FriendsMachiavelli on why change has fierce enemies and lukewarm friends
  4. 4
    Build Banks in Calm WeatherMachiavelli on fortune as a flooding river, and the banks you can build
  5. 5
    Feared, Never HatedMachiavelli on whether to be loved or feared
  6. 6
    Be the Lion and the FoxMachiavelli on the lion that misses traps and the fox that cannot fight
  7. 7
    Make the Decision StickMachiavelli on why leaders who waver end up despised
  8. 8
    Bad News All at OnceMachiavelli on doing hard things at once and good things slowly
  9. 9
    Judged by Your CircleMachiavelli on why people judge a leader by the people around them
  10. 10
    Ask Widely, Decide AloneMachiavelli on taking advice without losing your own mind
  11. 11
    Get Off the FenceMachiavelli on why staying neutral rarely keeps you safe
  12. 12
    Fight in Your Own ArmorMachiavelli on why borrowed strength lets you down
PreviousJudged by Your Circle
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Read the rest in Counsel.

Ask Widely, Decide Alone and the other 11 ideas of The Prince, a minute at a time.

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Every idea is drawn from the public-domain text, and its names, dates and quotes are checked against the sources listed with it. The paintings are made for Counsel; they show the scene, not a historical record.

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