--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince…" description: "\"Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. And I shall..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/niccolo-machiavelli-368_able_therefore-it-is-unnecessary-for-a-prince_2798778.jpg" --- # Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the… ![“Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. And I shall dare to say this also, that to have them and always to observe them is injurious, and that to appear to have them is useful; to appear merciful…” quote by Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/niccolo-machiavelli-368_able_therefore-it-is-unnecessary-for-a-prince_2798778.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/niccolo-machiavelli-368_able_therefore-it-is-unnecessary-for-a-prince_2798778.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4ce/niccolo-machiavelli-368_able_therefore-it-is-unnecessary-for-a-prince_2798778.jpg) > “Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to have them. And I shall dare to say this also, that to have them and always to observe them is injurious, and that to appear to have them is useful; to appear merciful, faithful, humane, religious, upright, and to be so, but with a mind so framed that should you require not to be so, you may be able and know how to change to the opposite.” [Niccolo 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. A ruler need not possess all virtues, but must appear virtuous; true virtue can be flexible, allowing strategic adaptation. **In simple terms:** Appear virtuous, act as needed. Key Takeaway Cultivate image, adapt actions. Themes politics leadership ethics Mood cautious strategic Type philosophical political When to use this quote - governance - public perception - crisis response - negotiation Key Concepts pragmatism image management Questions to Reflect On - When is deception justified? - How to balance image and integrity? A Different Perspective Authentic virtue may be costly or unsustainable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Able](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/able/) [Appear Useful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/appear-useful-3434127/) [Dare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dare/) [Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful/) [Framed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/framed/) [Humane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humane/) [King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/king/) [May](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/may/) [Mind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mind/) [Necessary Appear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/necessary-appear-3434126/) [Opposites](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposites/) [Psychology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychology/) [Qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualities/) [Qualities Enumerated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/qualities-enumerated-3434124/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) [Religious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/religious/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) [Unnecessary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary/) [Unnecessary Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unnecessary-prince-3434125/) ## Related quotes > [Therefore it is unnecessary for a prince to have all the good qualities I have enumerated, but it is very necessary to appear to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/therefore-it-is-unnecessary-for-a-prince-to-have-all-the-good-2/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“What if, despite all our pretense and disguise, it was necessary to appear in public with the person we loved most of all? Imagine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/what-if-despite-all-our-pretense-and-disguise-it-was-necessary-to/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [Thus it is well to seem merciful, faithful, humane, sincere, religious, and also to be so; but you must have the mind so disposed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/thus-it-is-well-to-seem-merciful-faithful-humane-sincere-religious/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [ I remember it as if it were today... seeing him \[Che\] framed in the viewfinder, with that expression. I am still startled by the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alberto-korda/i-remember-it-as-if-it-were-today-seeing-him-che-framed-in-the/) [Alberto Korda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alberto-korda/) > [ “\[...\] Pacing from room to room and in each window a different version of a framed woman unable to rest, set against a sky… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/olena-kalytiak-davis/pacing-from-room-to-room-and-in-each-window-a-different-version-of-a/) [Olena Kalytiak Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/olena-kalytiak-davis/) > [The thing framed says that nothing framed it; the tongue never made itself to speak, and yet talks against him that did; saying that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeremy-taylor/the-thing-framed-says-that-nothing-framed-it-the-tongue-never-made/) [Jeremy Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeremy-taylor/) > [I used to refer to my photos as free radicals - and maybe that has to do with this idea of navigating history. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elad-lassry/i-used-to-refer-to-my-photos-as-free-radicals-and-maybe-that-has-to/) [Elad Lassry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elad-lassry/) > [By focusing on the interior of a speaker's larynx and using infrared, he was able to convert the visible vibrations of the vocal cords…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-knight/by-focusing-on-the-interior-of-a-speaker-s-larynx-and-using-infrared/) [Damon Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-knight/) > [I remember driving around with my parents when I was little and looking out of the window and being very aware that it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rankin/i-remember-driving-around-with-my-parents-when-i-was-little-and/) [Rankin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rankin/) > [All these years I've had a story in my mind, the story about us that never really existed. And because of that story, I've…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathleen-schine/all-these-years-i-ve-had-a-story-in-my-mind-the-story-about-us-that/) [Cathleen Schine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathleen-schine/) > [No one familiar with the common law of England can read the Constitution of the United States without observing the great desire of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-freeman-miller/no-one-familiar-with-the-common-law-of-england-can-read-the/) [Samuel Freeman Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-freeman-miller/) > [The circus tent was flowing pale in the rain like a fleshy flower lit from within. It seemed to bloom in the downpour. Drops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francesca-lia-block/the-circus-tent-was-flowing-pale-in-the-rain-like-a-fleshy-flower-lit/) [Francesca Lia Block](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francesca-lia-block/) > [It's still true that literary works by women, gays, and writers of color are often framed as specific, rather than universal, small rather than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cheryl-strayed/it-s-still-true-that-literary-works-by-women-gays-and-writers-of/) [Cheryl Strayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cheryl-strayed/) > [I've framed houses, worked on an asphalt crew, I was a cop, a lifeguard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-griffin/i-ve-framed-houses-worked-on-an-asphalt-crew-i-was-a-cop-a-lifeguard/) [Forrest Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-griffin/) > [Sometimes a sign or a quote is simply interesting by itself and does not require anything beyond being framed on a page.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-vincent-benet/sometimes-a-sign-or-a-quote-is-simply-interesting-by-itself-and-does/) [Stephen Vincent Benet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-vincent-benet/) ## More by Niccolo 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/) > [Because there are three classes of intellects: one which comprehends by itself; another which appreciates what others comprehend; and a third which neither comprehends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/because-there-are-three-classes-of-intellects-one-which-comprehends/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [It is the duty of a man of honor to teach others the good which he has not been able to do himself because…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/it-is-the-duty-of-a-man-of-honor-to-teach-others-the-good-which-he/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“Anyone who believes that new benefits make men of high station forget old injuries deceives himself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/anyone-who-believes-that-new-benefits-make-men-of-high-station-forget/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [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/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Everyone who wants to know what will happen ought to examine what has happened: everything in this world in any epoch has their replicas…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/everyone-who-wants-to-know-what-will-happen-ought-to-examine-what-has/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Speaking generally, men are ungrateful, fickle, hypocritical, fearful odanger and covetous ogain.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/speaking-generally-men-are-ungrateful-fickle-hypocritical-fearful/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [There is nothing as likely to succeed as what the enemy believes you cannot attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/there-is-nothing-as-likely-to-succeed-as-what-the-enemy-believes-you/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [For the great majority of mankind are satisfied with appearance, as though they were realities and are often more influenced by the things that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/for-the-great-majority-of-mankind-are-satisfied-with-appearance-as/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [That prince is highly esteemed who conveys this impression of himself, and he who is highly esteemed is not easily conspired against; for, provided…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/that-prince-is-highly-esteemed-who-conveys-this-impression-of-himself/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“Anyone who studies present and ancient affairs will easily see how in all cities and all peoples there still exist, and have always existed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/anyone-who-studies-present-and-ancient-affairs-will-easily-see-how-in/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [I believe that it is possible for one to praise, without concern, any man after he is dead since every reason and supervision for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/i-believe-that-it-is-possible-for-one-to-praise-without-concern-any/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Men are always averse to enterprises in which they foresee difficulties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/men-are-always-averse-to-enterprises-in-which-they-foresee/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [“He who causes another to become powerful ruins himself, for he brings such a power into being either by design or by force, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/he-who-causes-another-to-become-powerful-ruins-himself-for-he-brings/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [One never finds anything perfectly pure and ... exempt from danger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/one-never-finds-anything-perfectly-pure-and-exempt-from-danger/) [Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) [Explore all 590 Niccolo Machiavelli quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) ## More Able quotes > [I am certain that children always know more than they are able to tell, and that makes the big difference between them and adults,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacques-lusseyran/i-am-certain-that-children-always-know-more-than-they-are-able-to/) [Jacques Lusseyran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jacques-lusseyran/) > [I have observed this in my experience of slavery, - that whenever my condition was improved, instead of its increasing my contentment, it only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/i-have-observed-this-in-my-experience-of-slavery-that-whenever-my/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [There is something about the South that accepts the supernatural. 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