WORLD HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Niccolò Machiavelli was a political theorist from the Renaissance period. In his most notable work, The Prince, he writes, “It is better to be feared than to be loved, if one cannot be both.” He argues that fear is a better motivator than love, which is why it is the more effective tool for leaders.

Detailed explanation-2: -Among the precepts espoused by Machiavelli: leaders should always mask their true intentions, avoid inconsistency, and frequently “act against mercy, against faith, against humanity, against frankness, against religion, in order to preserve the state.” His name has become synonymous with cunning tyrants.

Detailed explanation-3: -It’s not that the language is hard. Depending on the translation that you’re using, Machiavelli’s words are pretty simple to understand and his grammar is not too convoluted most of the time. Machiavelli tries his best to be straightforward and the few big words could easily be looked up in a dictionary.

Detailed explanation-4: -Until Machiavelli’s writing, most philosophers of politics had defined a good leader as humble, moral and honest. Machiavelli shed that notion, saying frankly, “It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot have both.”