[One Thousand Characters a Day] The Principles of Leadership Conveyed by 'Gunjuron' <5>

Editor's NoteNiccol? Machiavelli advises individuals to strengthen their capabilities to overcome fate. He hoped that an outstanding leader would emerge to overcome turbulent times and place the homeland, which was on the brink of collapse, on a solid foundation. He wished for each person to become the protagonist of their own destiny, not swept away by the times or succumbing to circumstances, but forging their own path. From the perspective that a person who governs themselves well can lead others, The Prince can also be seen as a self-help book. The message embedded in this book is that only individuals and nations who live proactively can overcome the limits of reality and move toward an ideal life. Word count: 904 characters.

There are three types of judgment (cerevelli). One is the type that understands things on their own. Another is the type that recognizes what others have realized. The third type is those who cannot understand at all, whether by themselves or through others. The first type is the most excellent, the second is good, and the third is useless. Therefore, if Pandolfo is not of the first type, he would at least belong to the second type. Because even if he has not realized things on his own, if he can discern good and bad whenever someone acts or speaks, he will recognize the good and bad deeds of his subjects, praising the former and correcting the latter. And the subjects will not think to deceive him and will behave virtuously.

There is a foolproof way for a prince to recognize his subjects. If someone thinks of themselves more than you or pursues their own interests in everything, they can never be a good subject, and you can never trust them. This is because a person who manages another’s state must never think of their own affairs first but must always think of the prince first, and must not remember anything unrelated to the prince. On the other hand, for a prince to maintain his subjects well, he must bind them to himself by honoring them, enriching them, sharing honors, and assigning duties. Thus, they should come to believe that they cannot endure without the prince. Much glory will make them not desire more glory, great wealth will make them not want more wealth, and heavy responsibilities will make them fear mutazioni (betrayal). When this happens, the prince and the subjects can trust each other. Otherwise, the outcome will always be harmful to one side or the other.

- 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.