The Prince · Part 1, Seeing it clearly · Idea 3 of 12

Change Has Lukewarm Friends

Machiavelli on why change has fierce enemies and lukewarm friends. From The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli, 1513.

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Where it comes from.

In 1494, Florence threw out the ruling Medici family. A friar, Girolamo Savonarola, stepped into the gap. His sermons held the city. At his urging, Florence set up a new republic, with strict new rules for how people lived.

A young Florentine named Machiavelli listened, and was not won over. Years later, in The Prince, he explained why it could not last.

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 6 of The Prince (1513), Machiavelli wrote that nothing is harder than bringing in a new order. Those who did well under the old way fight you hard, and those who would gain defend you only lukewarmly. His example was Savonarola, the friar who led Florence after 1494 and fell in 1498 once the crowd stopped believing.

Change dies less from its enemies than from its friends waiting to see. Practical advice: before you change something, plan one early win the quiet supporters can see.

Well established · checked against 6 sources

Make it yours.

Make it your step

Plan one early win that shows your change working, and make it visible.

Ask your council

“I want to change how things run at work, but even the people who agree stay quiet. How do I win them?”

Sources.

  1. The Prince, translated by W. K. Marriott, Niccolò Machiavelli (Project Gutenberg), 1513The text
  2. Girolamo Savonarola, Wikipedia, 2026
  3. Machiavelli, Niccolò, Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani (Treccani), 2006
  4. Niccolò Machiavelli, Wikipedia, 2026
  5. Niccolò Machiavelli, Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, 2023
  6. Girolamo Savonarola, Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent), 1912

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
PreviousCatch the Fever Early
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Change Has Lukewarm Friends 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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