---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men are ‘ungrateful, fickle, simulators…"
description: "\"“Men are ‘ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, and greedy for gain. While you work for their benefit, they are completely ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/niccolo-machiavelli-368_quote_men-are-ungrateful-fickle-simulators-and_2113173.jpg"
---

#  Men are ‘ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers…

![“Men are ‘ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, and greedy for gain. While you work for their benefit, they are completely yours, offering you their blood, their property, their lives, and their sons, as I said above, when the need is far away. But when it draws nearer…” quote by Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/niccolo-machiavelli-368_quote_men-are-ungrateful-fickle-simulators-and_2113173.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/niccolo-machiavelli-368_quote_men-are-ungrateful-fickle-simulators-and_2113173.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/565/niccolo-machiavelli-368_quote_men-are-ungrateful-fickle-simulators-and_2113173.jpg)

> ““Men are ‘ungrateful, fickle, simulators and deceivers, avoiders of danger, and greedy for gain. While you work for their benefit, they are completely yours, offering you their blood, their property, their lives, and their sons, as I said above, when the need is far away. But when it draws nearer to you, they turn away’ (Ch. XVII). It is therefore better to be feared than to be loved, if one cannot be both, because ‘men are less hesitant about injuring someone who makes himself loved than one who makes himself feared’.””

[Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Power is more reliable when feared than loved because love is fickle and can be abandoned when circumstances change.

**In simple terms:** Fear secures loyalty better than love.

Key Takeaway

Choose fear over love when necessary.

Themes

politics human nature leadership

Mood

cautious strategic

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- ruling a state
- managing a team
- negotiating alliances
- maintaining authority

Key Concepts

Machiavellianism trust self‑preservation

Questions to Reflect On

- Is fear always more effective than love?
- How can a leader balance fear and affection?

A Different Perspective

Fear can breed resentment and rebellion if overused.

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> [From this arises the question whether it is better to be loved rather than feared, or feared rather than loved. It might perhaps be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/from-this-arises-the-question-whether-it-is-better-to-be-loved-rather/)

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> [Do I want to be feared or loved? That's a good question. I want both. I want people to be afraid of how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-i-want-to-be-feared-or-loved-that-s-a-good-question-i-want-both-i/)

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> [Bullies are often people who are shy and can't make friends easily, so, as the theme of the movie 'A Bronx Tale' tells us,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-zimbardo/bullies-are-often-people-who-are-shy-and-can-t-make-friends-easily-so/)

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> [It is much safer for the prince to be feared than loved, but he ought to avoid making himself hated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-much-safer-for-the-prince-to-be-feared-than-loved-but-he-ought/)

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> [Would I rather be feared or loved? Easy, both. I want people to be afraid of how much they love me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scott-the-office/would-i-rather-be-feared-or-loved-easy-both-i-want-people-to-be/)

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[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

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[Don King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-king/)

## More by Niccolò Machiavelli

> [Men generally decide upon a middle course, which is most hazardous, for they know neither how to be entirely good nor entirely bad.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-generally-decide-upon-a-middle-course-which-is-most-hazardous-for/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

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> [He who has once begun to live by rapine always finds reasons for taking what is not his.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/he-who-has-once-begun-to-live-by-rapine-always-finds-reasons-for/)

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[Explore all 590 Niccolò Machiavelli quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

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