The Prince · Part 1, Seeing it clearly · Idea 4 of 12

Build Banks in Calm Weather

Machiavelli on fortune as a flooding river, and the banks you can build. From The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, 1513.

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A painting for Build Banks in Calm Weather

Where it comes from.

From 1494 on, Machiavelli watched French, Spanish and Swiss armies march through Italy. Cities changed hands within a season. In 1512 his own republic fell to a Spanish army, and he lost his job.

Many people decided that chance and God ran everything, so effort was pointless. In chapter 25 of The Prince, he admits he sometimes leans that way himself.

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 25 of The Prince (1513), Machiavelli wrote that fortune rules about half of what we do and leaves the rest to us. He compared it to a flooding river: no one can stop the flood, but in fair weather people can build banks so the next one does less harm. Italy, he said, had built none, and in 1494 a French army walked through it.

Fortune picks the day of the flood; you pick what is still standing. Practical advice: in a calm month, build one bank, such as savings, a skill or a backup.

Well established · checked against 7 sources

Make it yours.

Make it your step

This calm week, build one bank: a small saving, a backup or a skill.

Ask your council

“Life is calm for me right now. What should I prepare before the next hard stretch comes?”

Sources.

  1. The Prince, translated by W. K. Marriott, Niccolò Machiavelli (Project Gutenberg), 1513The text
  2. Niccolò Machiavelli, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2023
  3. Niccolò Machiavelli, Wikipedia, 2026
  4. Italian War of 1494 to 1498, Wikipedia, 2026
  5. The Memoirs of Philip de Commines, volume 2, edited by Andrew R. Scoble, Philippe de Commynes (Project Gutenberg), 1855The text
  6. Louis XII, Wikipedia, 2026
  7. Piero Soderini, Wikipedia, 2026

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
PreviousChange Has Lukewarm Friends
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Read the rest in Counsel.

Build Banks in Calm Weather 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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