A Prince that loseth the Force and Example of his Punishments, loseth withal the greatest Part of his Dominion.

A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

What pleases the prince has the force of law.
(Quod principi placuit legis habet vigorem.)

He decided in favor of life out of sheer spite and malice.

What is a mistake in other people is a crime in the prince.

I say that every prince must desire to be considered merciful and not cruel. He must, however, take care not to misuse this mercifulness. … A prince, therefore, must not mind incurring the charge of cruelty for the purpose of keeping his subjects united and confident; for, with a very few examples, he will be more merciful than those who, from excess of tenderness, allow disorders to arise, from whence spring murders and rapine; for these as a rule injure the whole community, while the executions carried out by the prince injure only one individual. And of all princes, it is impossible for a new prince to escape the name of cruel, new states being always full of dangers. … Nevertheless, he must be cautious in believing and acting, and must not inspire fear of his own accord, and must proceed in a temperate manner with prudence and humanity, so that too much confidence does not render him incautious, and too much diffidence does not render him intolerant.

One man’s wickedness becomes all men’s curse.

The inhuman Timur … gave orders to put all above the age of fifteen to the sword, so that, upon that horrid day, one hundred thousand men were massacred in cold blood. This barbarity, together with his other actions of cruelty, gained him the name of Hillak Chan, or the destroying Prince.

The arbitrary rule of a just and enlightened prince is always bad. His virtues are the most dangerous and the surest form of seduction: they lull a people imperceptibly into the habit of loving, respecting, and serving his successor, whoever that successor may be, no matter how wicked or stupid.

Now a curse upon Because and his kin!

A prince who is not wise himself will never take good advice.

So the good prince was a murderer and the evil queen wasn't a witch after all.

Cursed is the man, and void of law and right,
Unworthy property, unworthy light,
Unfit for public rule, or private care,
That wretch, that monster, that delights in war:
Whose lust is murder, and whose horrid joy
To tear his country, and his kind destroy!

"It is enough", this malicious man tells us, "to extinguish the line of the defeated prince." Can one read this without quivering in horror and indignation?