“ Necessary wars are just wars, and the arms of a nation are hallowed when it has no other resource but to fight. ”
Niccolò Machiavelli, The Prince (1532). copy citation
| Author | Niccolò Machiavelli |
|---|---|
| Source | The Prince |
| Topic | war fight |
| Date | 1532 |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by W. K. Marriott |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm |
Context
“In politics there are no perfectly safe courses; prudence consists in choosing the least dangerous ones. Then—to pass to a higher plane—Machiavelli reiterates that, although crimes may win an empire, they do not win glory. Necessary wars are just wars, and the arms of a nation are hallowed when it has no other resource but to fight. It is the cry of a far later day than Machiavelli's that government should be elevated into a living moral force, capable of inspiring the people with a just recognition of the fundamental principles of society; to this "high argument" "The Prince" contributes but little.”
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