Machiavelli on Trump
“The choice of a prince’s ministers is a matter of no little importance; they are either good or not [depending on the wisdom] of the prince. The first impression that one gets of a ruler and his brains is from seeing the men that he has about him. When they are competent and faithful one can always consider him wise, as he has been able to recognize their ability and keep them faithful. But when they are the reverse, one can always form an unfavorable opinion of him, because the first mistake he makes is in making this choice.”
“Flatterers (among which courts are full) must be shunned. … Because men take such pleasure in their own things and deceive themselves … they can with difficulty guard against this plague.”
“Chose a council of wise men, giving them full liberty to speak the truth to him, but only of those things that he asks and of nothing else; but he must ask them about everything, and hear their opinion – with each of these men comport himself so that everyone may see that the more freely he speaks, the more he will be acceptable.”
“Whoever acts otherwise either acts precipitately through flattery or else changes often through the variety of opinions, from which it follows that he will be little esteemed.”
“It is an infallible rule that a prince who is not wise himself cannot be well advised … ”
Niccolo Machiavelli, The Prince, Chapters XXII, XXIII, published 1532.
Douglas Kane is the author of "Our Politics: Reflections on Political Life" published in 2019 by Southern Illinois University Press
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