The Ruler

We can generally say the following about people: they are ungrateful, fickle, liars, hypocrites, fleeing before danger, greedy before profit, as long as they are benefited and as long as the danger is far, they are all yours and offer you their blood, wealth , their lives and children, as I said, but when it comes, they change. So the ruler, who relies entirely on their words, appears completely unprepared and is destroyed because, as many friendships are acquired through money and not because of greatness and nobility of soul, they are bought but do not bring any substantial result because, when you need them, you cannot to use them, while men are less afraid of harming one whom they love than one who inspires fear, because love is constituted by a bond of obligation which, the ruler must inspire fear in such a way that, if he does not win love, he avoids hatred, because he can easily inspire fear and at the same time not become hated, which he will always do if he does not extend his hand to the goods of his fellow citizens and of his subjects nor to their wives.