[One Thousand Characters a Day] The Principles of Leadership Conveyed by 'Gunju-ron' <4>

Editor's NoteNiccol? Machiavelli was born as the second son of a declining noble family. Gifted with humanistic talents, he served as the Secretary of the Second Chancery, responsible for diplomacy of the Republic of Florence, from 1498 to 1512, and concurrently held the position of Secretary of the Council of Ten, overseeing military affairs. When the Republic of Florence fell due to the Spanish invasion and the Medici family regained power, he was stripped of his public office. In 1513, he was imprisoned on charges of involvement in a conspiracy against the Medici family but was released as a papal envoy. He then began imaginary dialogues with great figures from Greek and Roman times, asking them about the course of history and the nature of power. Recalling the intense political and diplomatic scenes he had experienced over the years, he wrote The Prince, comparing the insights he gained then with the teachings of the classics. He made many efforts to return to public service, including presenting this book to the new ruler of the Medici family, but was ultimately ignored and died in 1527 at the age of 58. Word count: 892.

A prince must make himself feared, but if he cannot be loved, he must avoid being hated. Being feared and not hated go very well together. If he refrains from seizing the property and women of his citizens and subjects, he can avoid being hated at all times. And if there is a matter that requires action involving the shedding of blood, it should only be undertaken with proper justification and clear reasons. Above all, he must avoid confiscating others' possessions. People forget the death of their father sooner than the loss of their inheritance. There is never a shortage of reasons to seize property. Therefore, a person who begins to live by plunder will always find reasons to take others' possessions. Conversely, reasons to shed blood are fewer and disappear more quickly.

However, if a prince leads an army and commands numerous soldiers, he must not care about being called cruel above all else. Without such a reputation, he cannot unite the army or carry out operations. One of Hannibal's remarkable achievements was that, despite leading a large army composed of many different peoples and fighting in foreign lands, there was never any discord within the army or rebellion against the prince, whether in times of misfortune or good fortune. This was an impossible result without Hannibal's infinite excellence and his inhuman cruelty, which made him a figure both respected and feared by his soldiers. It is almost impossible to achieve such results with other excellences alone, without cruelty. Writers who did not consider this important admired his deeds but criticized the main cause that made them possible.

- Niccol? Machiavelli, The Prince, translated by Choi Hyun-joo, supervised and annotated by Kim Sang-geun, Page2 Books, 17,000 KRW

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.