Men will not look at things as they really are, but as they wish them to be — and are ruined. - Niccolò Machiavelli

And yet we cannot define as skillful killing one's fellow citizens, betraying one's friends, and showing no loyalty, mercy, or moral obligation. These means can lead to power, but not glory.

Wars begin when you will, but they do not end when you please.

Therefore any cruelty has to be executed at once, so that the less it is tasted, the less it offends; while benefits must be dispensed little by little, so that they will be savored all the more.