"The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli

There are several classical books that withstood the test of time and in one way or another deserve attention. One of them is “The Prince”. Why? Its applicability to the democratic state remains a question, however I’m sure politicians read it for how to make one nation the dominating force in the global community. But, if you’re not interested in international relations (how to rule over a principality), read this for its uncanny insight into the darkness of the human nature. Believe it or not, it is a great psychology tool. Of course its center stage is reserved for the leader of a monarchy. But then again forget about what’s obvious and focus on what’s written between the lines. Take for example the following statement:

“…men are wretched creatures who would not keep their word to you, you need to keep your word to them.”

Here is the perfect example of how a mid-16th century writer characterizes the eternal and unchangeable human nature. Time and again he addresses the lack of trust one should put in people and how one is to handle his enemies. Many of us have already established our own framework of how to do this, but checking this framework against such a historical artifact would be extremely beneficial.

In addition, the book possesses a wealth of historical information on the topic of political strategy and to be fair – all of us can take advantage of a political lesson (especially in this day and age).

A short and quick read, I recommend it not only for its lessons, but for the mere fact that history deemed it worthy of preservation.

-by Simon Cleveland