The Prince Book download in PDF, ePub & Mobi
by Niccolò Machiavelli
Political Philosophy Non-Fiction Power Politics Ethics Human Nature Leadership
The Prince is a political treatise written by Niccolò Machiavelli in the sixteenth century, approximately around 1513.
In this treatise, Machiavelli develops the idea that the aims of rulers are often at odds with morality, and that if a ruler wants to maintain power, he must be willing to act without mercy. The book even devotes a chapter to the different kinds of cruelty and mercy, and how to apply them correctly.
It is divided into 26 chapters and an epilogue. The first 12 chapters are devoted to describing the different types of principalities and how they can be acquired and maintained. The next 8 chapters are devoted to specific advice on how to rule, including such topics as how to deal with rebels, how to maintain the loyalty of the prince's subjects, and how to deal with peoples who have been conquered.
Finally, the final 6 chapters are devoted to more general advice on life, such as the importance of being both loved and feared, or the dangers of being too generous or too stingy.
Unlike other idealistic or utopian writings of the time, The Prince is written as a practical guide or manual for rulers.
A prince must have two main qualities if he wants to stay in power: virtue and fortune. On the one hand, virtue is a personal quality of strength and character, while on the other, fortune is the ability to take advantage of circumstances, good or bad. Machiavelli advises the prince to focus on virtue, since fortune is beyond the control of any individual.
This edition of The Prince is based on the English translation by Luigi Ricci.
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The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli is believed to be in the public domain in the United States only. It may still be copyrighted in other countries. If you are not in the United States, please check your local laws to ensure this eBook is in the public domain in your country before downloading The Prince in PDF or ePub.
WHY READ THE PRINCE IN 2025?
493 years later, still timelyShort, cool-eyed, and strangely honest, "The Prince" explains how power behaves when it stops pretending. Not a villain’s manual so much as a glossary for risk—reputation, favors, timing, messaging, contingency—it still offends because it refuses wishful thinking. In under a hundred pages it separates moral aims from operational constraints and shows what speeches are buying.
Use it to read leadership claims in crises, campaigns, and boardrooms. The book names trade-offs plainly: stability, fear, mercy, appearance, and when rules break under pressure. It is a method for parsing incentives, not a promise of virtue. You finish less impressed by rhetoric and more attentive to structure.
Language as logistics
Words move resources and shape risk. Machiavelli tracks messaging like supply lines.
Reputation as capital
Credit, goodwill, and fear are managed assets. The work shows how they are built and spent.
Plan for uncertainty
Contingency, timing, and terrain matter. The advice is situational, not ceremonial.
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About Niccolò Machiavelli
Clear eyed analysis of power, institutions, and risk without moral fog.
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