Quote 3
A
prince must have no other objective, no other thought, nor take
up any profession but that of war, its methods and its discipline,
for that is the only art expected of a ruler. And it is of such
great value that it not only keeps hereditary princes in power,
but often raises men of lowly condition to that rank.
This quote from Chapter XIV highlights
warcraft as both an academic discipline that can be studied through
historical examples and as a matter of practical experience. For
Machiavelli, all affairs of government are viewed through a military
lens, because the ultimate goal of a government is self-preservation;
military defense—embracing ideas of strategy, diplomacy, and geography—is
the means by which governments preserve themselves. Machiavelli does
not conceive of the prince as a man skilled in many disciplines, but
rather as one whose sole responsibility is to ensure the stability of
the state that he governs.
