Niccolo Machiavelli Quotes

Good government consists of winning the loyalty of people nearby and attracting the people far away.

No government is safe unless fortified by goodwill.

The trust of the people in the leaders reflects the confidence of the leaders in the people.

Though the people support the government, the government should not support the people.

If you present good government, then elections look after themselves.

Party leaders must have not only the confidence of the party, but the confidence of the people.

Whether this organization [the Chinese Communist Party] has strength depends not on whether it is in power, but on whether it has the best people, and whether it can earn the support of the people.

Even the best laws can only be respected and feared, not loved. Good rulers are respected, feared and loved. What mighty sources happiness for a nation good rulers are!

The basis of effective government is public confidence.

My faith in the people governing is, on the whole, infinitesimal; my faith in the people governed is, on the whole, illimitable.

The ruler should endeavor to keep all the subjects pleased with him. The ruler should not let himself be so deluded by the praise he gets from any who approach him as to believe that all the subjects are pleased with him.

Power without a nation's confidence is nothing.

As far as the constitution allows me, I will try to ensure that there is responsible and accountable governance at all levels of government in the country. For I will not have kept my own trust with the Nigerian people if I allow others abuse theirs under my watch.

Society cannot exist without law. Law is the bond of society: that which makes it, that which preserves it and keeps it together. It is, in fact, the essence of civil society.

Among the qualities most needed among those who aspire to true leadership in the fostering of peace and goodwill among the nations and in overcoming racial and religious antagonism is the cooperative spirit and objective.

I am not liked as a president by the politicians in office, in the press, or in Congress. But I am content to abide the judgment–the sober second thought–of the people

A political society cannot endure without a supreme will somewhere.

A people may let a king fall and still remain a people, but if a king let his people slip from him, he is no longer a king.

Our expectations of our leaders are too high—in what they can do to effect our day-to-day lives.

Legitimacy [of governments] is not bought by force; it is earned by the consensus of the people.

Public officers are the trustees of the people.

Character is the only secure foundation of the state.

If the people be governors, who shall be governed?

All power is a trust; that we are accountable for its exercise.

Not only capacity and talent in the administration, but also a perfect heartfelt cordiality among its members are essentially necessary to command the public confidence.