An evil philosopher’s timeless guide on how to succeed by hook or crook

Machiavelli: The father of modern political philosophy

Niccolo Machiavelli was an Italian author, philosopher, historian who claimed he learned true evil wisdom through studying history. His book 'The Prince' continues to revolt and attract readers to this day since its publication in 1532 nearly 500 years ago.

Not surprisingly at all, Machiavelli has earned for himself the title of 'Father of modern political philosophy and political science'. His name is a synonym for cunning craft, and though people like to condemn him as evil minded, many (unknowingly) follow him more closely than their own god whom they worship with all their heart.

Here are some of his mind blowing quotes that will literally blow your mind. We can't deny that they are also sickeningly true.

Advocating deception and dishonesty like a faithful ally.

Its modern counterpart is: never fight for what you can negotiate.

Be merciless to the point of no survival.

In simpler words it just means: No heart. No mercy. No forgiveness. No forgetting. Just crushing your enemy completely and feeling happy about being wise.

Means if one strives to cheat and deceive there will always be people who will fall into the trap. So, take heart. Make your unethical cheating plans and reap profit from masses falling for it.

Can we really say it is right to think this way? Okay, better question: can we really say it is false and has never happened?

That may be true but sounds so much more like the philosophy of the devil himself versus that of God. While God rules through love, the devil does that through deception and fear.

Machiavelli separated politics from morality, advocating that leaders focus on ruthless practicality and manipulative effectiveness rather than virtue.

Note: By vulgar Machiavelli means the common, simple minded, naive, gullible, innocent common people who have no idea how crooked the clever world outside their heart is. Like a parasitic spirit, his idea is to prey on these unsuspecting people.

That's unnerving! Instead of 'Be smart so you can outsmart others', he teaches 'be cunning so you can feed off the innocent and simple people.'

Note the presence of the word 'appearing' in the above quote.

In an age where being religious was the only way of living one's life Machiavelli was already telling people that it is alright not to be religious so long as we can pretend to be religious in order to deceive people into thinking we are good when in reality we aren't.

There's a huge difference between 'not being religious' and 'pretending to be one'.

Means: It is good to not be good…

And the repentance need not even be genuine. One could easily fake it, right?

The Catholic Church banned his book 'The Prince' for fear of misguiding people into thinking success is all that matters and misleading them to learn how to be bad instead of how to be good.

Born from his own name, the adjective Machiavellian became a term describing a form of politics that is "marked by cunning, wickedness, and manipulation"

The unsavoury term is very much still in use. And, sadly very much true…!

Deceiving the innocent is his biggest strategy for success, deceiving the deceiver the biggest pleasure. Deceiving everyone left and right is the only order of the day!

In short: Never help anyone. By helping someone you make that person strong and powerful who can then use the same power to cause you your own ruin, your own downfall.

Machiavelli, clearly prefers all things bad, negative and evil..! His mind is the den of the devil himself. But then, maybe not? It is his clever way of saying men of god are all so corrupt they are all bound to go to hell...!

Machiavelli's world is dark, decadent, grim and gruesome, stems from hell and in the order of what we call devil, brutes and beasts.

According to him, people are just greedy fools and if one wants to succeed in life one must exploit them, cheat them, fool them, crush and destroy them beyond recovery.

His world knows no honesty, kindness and love. People who have these don't survive so why should anyone have them either?

But this is far from truth. To say he is what he wrote in 'The Prince' would be to say J.K. Rowling is a sorcerer or Johnny Depp a Pirate.

Let's not make the same mistake that Catholic Church did of judging him by 'The Prince' but understanding his intent of spreading the knowledge about the patterns of human behaviour which he noticed by studying History and people therein.

Whereas Socrates and Plato before him told us how the world should be, Machiavelli boldly chose to educate people into understanding how the real world is and how it in reality works.

Let's not forget he wrote The Prince after being exiled and may have intended it as satire or as a way to regain favour with the ruling Medici family. His views were analytical, not prescriptive. He described what worked, not necessarily what was right.

One can use medicines to become well, or use them to become sick. The wellness or sickness is the result of how we have used them. Similarly, we can say Machiavelli is evil, or we can learn from him what he wanted us to teach.

But that's just my opinion. Thank you for reading.