Machiavelli By William Zinsser

Niccolò Machiavelli was an activist of analyzing power. He believed firmly in his theories and he wanted to persuade everyone else of them as well. To comment on the common relationship that was seen between moral goodness and legitimate authority of those who held power, Machiavelli said that authority and power were essentially coequal.9 He believed that whomever had power obtained the right to command; but goodness does not ensure power. This implied that the only genuine apprehension of the administrative power was the attainment and preservation of powers which indirectly guided the maintenance of the state. That, to him, should have been the objective of all leaders. Machiavelli believed that one should do whatever it took, during the given circumstance, to keep his people in favor of him and to maintain the state. Thus, all leaders should have both a sly fox and ravenous wolf inside of him prepared to release when necessary.10

When talking about leadership as a whole, a true leader sees his work as a self less service towards a higher purpose. And to be more specific with a political leader, being knowledgeable about how to build and use a strong military, how to support the people, and how to take action immediately when needed. And I remember the lecture in class where our instructor told us about how leadership is not power and power can make someone treat people like items instead of human beings. This reading was an extraordinary guide to how leaders make decisions maneuver at just about any capacity in their principality. The Prince by: Niccolo Machiavelli really tries and is successful at dividing politics and ethics to decipher the characteristics of a good and bad political/government ruling leader in this novel. In this reading, I seen 5 points that Machiavelli talked about, and those were: Free Will, Being Hated vs Goodwill, Virtue, A Good Military, and finally Human Nature. These are a necessity to the recipe that Machiavelli is making in this book.

In the article, Vincet Barnett explains and shows how there is more to Machiavelli than we really know. Machiavelli originally was trying to win back favor from the then-current rulers by writing "The Prince;" assuming a bitter attitude would work. "The Prince," had to be a crucial book to understand the meaning of what a leader had to do to succeed.

Living in a tumultuous era, filled with political and religious conflicts, warring city-states, and a continent ruled by a government who used the church to control and conquer, an exiled Machiavelli wrote the book The Prince to give politicians a basis on how to rule a nation and as a way to continue to make a statement in Florence’s politics. The book itself was unlike the regular “mirrors for princes”, in a sense that instead of telling the prince how to be morally sound it told him how to be effective as a ruler. Within the book there were three characteristics that were expressed that can be considered of high importance for every prince/ruler. These three were every prince should rather be feared than to be loved, study war and

Niccolo Machiavelli, in Chapter fifteen of The Prince, offers advice on vices, reputation and reactions. He clearly states that he does not wish to sugarcoat or stroke anyone’s ego about how someone needs to act in order to rule, “I think it more effective to go back to the practical truth of the subject than to depend on my fancies about it.” (1632) Machiavelli expresses that advice must only be given if it is truly obtainable, “And many have imagined republics and principalities that never have been seen or known to exist in reality.”(1632) Basically, it is his desire to be upfront and frank with the reader, he does not want anyone to misunderstand what is being taught. Niccolo also does not want to build up a person’s character because

Good water is clear, easy to swallow, has a fresh aftertaste. Much like water, writing should be clear, understandable for the audience, and leaves the audience with an afterthought that should ultimately be the intended effect of the author. Bad writing, conversely, is like uncleaned sewage water; murky, disgusting, and if one were to drink it, one might die. Bad writing is unclear, muddled for the reader, and leaves the reader disappointed.

Machiavelli did not seek to change the worldview of leadership when he composed The Prince in 1513. However, The Prince later became widely praised and criticized for its ruthless and immoral tactics for a ruler to gain and hold power. Machiavelli wrote The Prince as a guide to gain power; he wrote it in a blunt way without flowery language so that anyone who read the book would understand exactly what was required to gain and hold absolute power. One of the main focuses of the book is an explanation of the characteristics of an ideal prince and how those defined traits can help one hold and maintain power.

On the other hand, writing can turn ugly if they don’t care about what words they use and rush through the writing process. The idea is that ugly writing impedes communication whereas positive writing allows for clear communication. Positive writing serves the purpose of communicating clearly and concisely. It allows for the flow of imagery from the writer to the reader. In contrast, ugly writing does something else. It can be crowded with meaningless phrases and fillers. People need to prevent bad habits from spreading by consciously guarding against them.

Author’s Identity: Unlike many other previous writers on military thought, Machiavelli was not from pure or noble blood, although he was of enough social status to become literate. Instead, Machiavelli used his intellect to climb the social ladder the highest legs of Italian social order. From 1501 to 1521, Machiavelli worked as an influencer, author, and military leader. Rather than conceal his intellect to avoid prosecution or death, such as within a monastery, Machiavelli balanced a thin line between critical thought and appeasement in his allegorical experiences with Caesar Borgia.

More than anything else we’ve read this year, Machiavelli is extremely difficult for me to respond to. I find myself agreeing with a lot of his ideas (at least I think I agree with his ideas, his writing jumbles my head around), and most of my comments come from a place of unwarranted rage. One complaint I have is that I think he goes back on his word a lot. The thing is, Machiavelli shoves so much information down your throat every sentence that everything I’ve read kind of melds together in a strange sort of limbo. For example, I’m fairly sure he talks about the importance of being kind and virtuous in the first reading we did, but in the second a lot of it is about being merciless. Maybe those were supposed to apply to different situations.

Niccolò Machiavelli wrote The Prince with the sole purpose of impressing the Medici family and getting on the good side of the new ruler of Florence, Lorenzo di Piero de’ Medici. By writing this “handbook to ruling,” Machiavelli hoped to sway the Medici to accept him as an ally and possible political advisor. He was extremely convincing as he used examples from the past as a “political lesson” to further distinguish his ideas as correct.

Books that continue to thrive centuries after their initial writing contain something that prompts continued discussion and analysis, such as wisdom and insight, or, in some cases, controversy. In the 15th century, Niccolo Machiavelli composed a political treatise that has persisted primarily due to the questionable morality and brutal practices it promotes. Readers have spent centuries wrestling with this small but powerful book, trying to discern Machiavelli’s purpose, as well as how his writing has influenced political leaders since its publication. With a political background during a time of unrest in Italy, Machiavelli wrote with expertise and knowledge, having seen rulers fail first-hand in addition to his extensive historical

The Renaissance was the tumultuous rebirth of European literature and art. It started in Florence and was ‘funded by the Medici’ (The Ascent to Money 2009) family. This is particularly significant as Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, was born into the nobility in the Republic of Florence on 3rd May 1469. He was educated in Latin and then studied at the University of Florence. This fuelled his interest in political theory and so the Medici. During his childhood, Lorenzo de Medici, Il Magnifico, had vast power and influence over the fortunes of Florence fortunes. In awe of the ‘magnificence of the Medicean ruler’ Lorenzo, Machiavelli would later, dedicate The Prince to Lorenzo’s grandson. In 1494 the Medici were banished from Florence. Machiavelli served as a public official for four years, being elected Chancellor and Secretary to the Second Chancery. When the Medici returned to power in 1512 they dismissed him from his diplomatic post. Machiavelli was indicted for conspiracy against the Medici, imprisoned and tortured, until the Medici pope, Leo X, released him. He retired to his country house outside Florence, devoting his life to writing.

In writing, as in other kinds of production, the process directly affects the quality of the product. If we prepare a meal quickly, assembling poor ingredients without much thought or attention, we aren’t likely to end up with a tasty dish. The best chefs, like the best writers, refine their methods and think carefully about what they are doing, with close attention to detail to

The Prince, written by Niccolo Machiavelli, focuses on the analysis of how to acquire the principalities and how a prince should behave so as to organize and maintain his political power. Although The Prince was considered to be inspired by the devil and its ideas were not completely accepted in the 16th century, it is still a classic that is worth to learn. In today society, more and more companies seem to follow some of the principles from Machiavelli, since some of the ideas from Machiavelli are useful and suitable for using in the field of business in order to achieve success. McDonald’s Corporation is one of the examples. McDonald’s, a world’s leading fast-food restaurant chain, has been serving millions of customers in over hundreds of countries. Nowadays McDonald’s is still considered a successful company in the industry. At the same time, it still keeps maintaining in the top of the industry. By conducting a great deal of research so far, McDonald’s has adhered a few Machiavelli’s dictums that making friends with powerful people, working with intelligent people, and doing good to others, and as a result it has succeeded in promoting the sales, expanding the global market and winning the public affection as well.