Machiavelli on the lion that misses traps and the fox that cannot fight. From The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, 1513.
On the last day of 1502, a band of hard soldiers rode into Senigallia, on the Adriatic coast. They came to make peace with Cesare Borgia, months after plotting against him.
They trusted his welcome and followed him inside. There he had them seized, and that night two were strangled. Machiavelli, Florence’s envoy to Borgia, wrote it all down.
In chapter 18 of The Prince (1513), Machiavelli wrote that a ruler must be both beasts: the lion cannot see traps, and the fox cannot fight off wolves. He had watched Cesare Borgia trap his rebel captains at Senigallia in 1502. The same chapter also defends breaking promises, the part readers have argued over ever since.
Be sharp enough to see the trap and steady enough to refuse it. Practical advice: before you agree to anything rushed, read it slowly and ask why the rush.
Well established · checked against 4 sourcesBefore agreeing to anything rushed, read it slowly and ask why the rush.
“Someone is pushing me to agree to something fast, and it feels off. How do I spot the catch and hold firm?”
Be the Lion and the Fox and the other 11 ideas of The Prince, a minute at a time.
Download on theApp StoreEvery 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.
