"It is safer to be feared than loved."
Machiavelli's *The Prince*, penned by the first modern political theorist, stands as an anatomical manual for power systems.
1. The Cunning of the Fox and the Ferocity of the Lion
Power is not a byproduct of morality. A prince must be capable of breaking traps like a lion and sniffing them out like a fox. The justice of the weak is an illusion, and only the decisions of the strong constitute law.
2. The Absolute Separation of Politics and Morality
Machiavelli shattered the myth that good intentions invariably yield favorable outcomes. For the survival of the commonwealth, a prince must possess the *virtù*—the capacity—to execute necessary evils with thoroughness and ruthlessness.