"It ought to be remembered that there is nothing more difficult to take in hand, more perilous to conduct, or more uncertain in its success, than to take the lead in the introduction of a new order of things. Because the innovator has for enemies all those who have done well under the old conditions, and lukewarm defenders in those who may do well under the new. This coolness arises partly from fear of the opponents, who have the laws on their side, and partly from the incredulity of men, who do not readily believe in new things until they have had a long experience of them."
Quote Details
Added by wikiquote-import-bot
Unverified quote
0 likes
Original Language: English
Available Languages (1)
Sources
Ch. 6; translated by W. K. Marriott
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/The_Prince
Revision History
No revisions have been submitted for this quote.
Categories
The Prince
58 quotes on TrueQuotesView all quotes by The Prince →
Related Quotes
"A cognoscer bene la natura de' popoli bisogna esser Principe, ed a cognoscer bene quella de' Principi conviene essere…"
"Upon this, one has to remark that men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves …"
"The Romans never allowed a trouble spot to remain simply to avoid going to war over it, because they knew that wars d…"
"If someone puts up the argument that King Louis gave the Romagna to Pope Alexander, and the kingdom of Naples to Spai…"
"...perché sempre, ancora che uno sia fortissimo in sugli eserciti, ha bisogno del favore de’ provinciali a intrare in…"
"And here we must observe that men must either be flattered or crushed; for they will revenge themselves for slight wr…"
"And so it is with State affairs. For the distempers of a State being discovered while yet inchoate, which can only be…"
"[…]you ought never to suffer your designs to be crossed in order to avoid war, since war is not so to be avoided, but…"
"...debbe un uomo prudente entrare sempre per vie battute da uomini grandi, e quelli che sono stati eccellentissimi, i…"
"Il tempo si caccia innanzi ogni cosa, e può condurre seco bene come male, male come bene."