“Those who believe that where great personages are concerned new favors cause old injuries to be forgotten deceive themselves.”
More from Niccolò Machiavelli on Wisdom
“Never do an enemy a small injury.”
“It is double pleasure to deceive the deceiver.”
“Never attempt to win by force what can be won by deception.”
“Benefits should be granted little by little so that they may be better enjoyed.”
“Wisdom consists in being able to distinguish among dangers and make a choice of the least harmful.”
“Only those means of security are good are certain are lasting that depend on yourself and your own vigor.”
“No enterprise is more likely to succeed than one concealed from the enemy until it is ripe for execution.”
Others on Wisdom
Sun Tzu
30 quotes“Do not swallow bait offered by the enemy. Do not interfere with an army that is returning home.”
Dalai Lama
22 quotes“Compassion is the radicalism of our time.”
Cervantes
20 quotes“A closed mouth catches no flies.”
Aesop
19 quotes“Little by little does the trick.”
Confucius
19 quotes“The gem cannot be polished without friction nor man perfected without trials.”
Ben Franklin
18 quotes“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.”
Napoleon
16 quotes“Ability is of little account without opportunity.”
Cicero
15 quotes“Great is the power of habit. It teaches us to bear fatigue and to despise wounds and pain.”
George Washington
14 quotes“Let your Discourse with Men of Business be Short and Comprehensive.”
Rudyard Kipling
14 quotes“I keep six honest serving men. (They taught me all I know) Their names are What and Why and When and How and Where and...”
Khalil Gibran
14 quotes“Perplexity is the beginning of knowledge.”
George R.R. Martin
14 quotes“This was how an enemy should be dealt with: with a dagger, not a declaration.”