LXVIII. Machiavelli's Warning Against Niceness
This essay explores what it means to be a good and effective person. It'll also help you avoid the hydra dangers of being nice—from the manipulators and bad actors in the world. Ignore at your peril.
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"The prince who relies entirely on fortune and the goodwill of others will fail, for men are ungrateful, fickle, and deceitful." — Niccolò Machiavelli
"A man who wishes to make a profession of goodness in everything must necessarily come to grief among so many who are not good." — Niccolò Machiavelli
We’ve been told, since childhood, that if we’re decent, honest, humble, and fair, life will reward us in turn. But the world, as we come to realize, often hands failure, injustice, and frustration to those who take this advice too literally. Niccolò Machiavelli, the shrewd Florentine statesman, understood this contradiction better than most and offered this life-changing advice…
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