These two brief chapters deal with the advisors and ministers whom a prince chooses to aid him. Machiavelli's discussion of the topic is direct and yet contradictory. A prudent ruler, even if he is not unusually intelligent, may choose a brilliant advisor, and so be thought wise. Then again, a ruler who is not wise can never get good advice, because he cannot evaluate it properly. A …
A prudent prince, therefore, should follow a middle course, choosing for his close advisers only wise men, to whom he gives full power to tell him the truth. They should only be allowed to give him those opinions that he asks for, and no other.
A prudent prince therefore should follow a middle course, choosing for ministers of his government only wise men, and to these only should he give full power to tell him the truth, and they should only be allowed to speak to him of those things which …
“Let your advisor see he cannot maintain his position without you. The prince should give him so many honours that he does not want more, so many riches he cannot wish to be richer, and so many responsibilities and offices that he dreads changes to the government.
The prince should honor and reward his minister, so that the minister will be dependent on the prince. Unless rulers are shrewd about choosing their advisors, they will find themselves surrounded by flatterers. The only way to guard against flattery is to show that you are not offended by the truth.
Make sure some people don't hate you -- especially some powerful people. As princes cannot help being hated by someone, they ought, in the first place, to avoid being hated by every one, and when they can not compass this, they ought to endeavor with the utmost diligence to avoid the hatred of the most powerful.Jun 20, 2011
According to Machiavelli, "The choosing of ministers is a matter of no little importance for a prince." Nonetheless, the value of a prince's advisors ultimately depends on the wisdom of the prince himself.Jan 5, 2014
Machiavelli advises that a prince should carefully calculate all the wicked deeds he needs to do to secure his power, and then execute them all in one stroke. In this way, his subjects will slowly forget his cruel deeds and the prince can better align himself with his subjects.
Niccolò Machiavelli was an Italian Renaissance political philosopher and statesman and secretary of the Florentine republic. His most famous work, The Prince (1532), brought him a reputation as an atheist and an immoral cynic.
Summary — Chapter XXIII: How to Avoid Flatterers A prince should allow only wise advisers to speak with him, and only when he specifically requests their advice. A prince should not listen to anyone else and should be firm in his decisions. Vacillation will lead to a loss of respect.
Machiavelli desperately wanted to return to politics. One of his goals in writing The Prince was to win the favor of Lorenzo de' Medici, then-governor of Florence and the person to whom the book is dedicated; Machiavelli hoped to land an advisory position within the Florentine government.
In this portion of The Prince and in some of his other writings, Machiavelli appears more idealistic and friendly toward a form of government that would give citizens a say. In his Discourses, Machiavelli portrays the ideal government as a republic that allows groups with differing opinions to speak openly.
But Machiavelli's association of leadership with masculinity extends beyond simple historical context. He also writes that a prince should avoid behaving effeminately at all costs, and associates effeminacy with cowardice and fickleness. The implication is that manliness is a prerequisite for ruling.
As in other matters, Machiavelli urges rulers to opt for moderation, striking a balance between alternative courses of action. A prince must ensure that he receives truthful advice from his ministers, but he must firmly set the guidelines for this exchange of opinions.
This stems from the fact that "the only way to safeguard yourself against flatterers is by letting people understand that you are not offended by the truth.".