12/15
4/4: Machiavelli says that it is best to be both feared (cruel) and loved (compassionate). However, since it is difficult to be both, one should be feared more. Being feared scares people into doing the right thing, and if punishments are necessary to achieve this peace, then they should be done as much as necessary. However, one should not be hated.
5/6: Machiavelli uses the image of a river overflooding as a metaphor for fortune. Fortune says that the river may or may not overflood, but if it does overflood, one should have already taken precautionary steps and built dikes to save oneself. Machiavelli states that it is best not to count on fortune alone to save your power, but rather competence.
3/5: the term "Machiavellian" refers to a person who uses cruel tactics to maintain his or her power and peace in his or her dominion. It is not necessarily a bad thing, as peace and order is widely believed to be the best thing to have in a state. (Simply, the ends justifies the means)
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