Niccolò Machiavelli

For in­jur­ies ought to be done all at one time, so that, be­ing tasted less, they of­fend less; be­ne­fits ought to be given little by little, so that the fla­vour of them may last longer.

And again, he need not make him­self un­easy at in­cur­ring a re­proach for those vices without which the state can only be saved with dif­fi­culty, for if everything is con­sidered care­fully, it will be found that some­thing which looks like vir­tue, if fol­lowed, would be his ruin; whilst some­thing else, which looks like vice, yet fol­lowed brings him se­cur­ity and prosper­ity.

Mer­cen­ar­ies and aux­il­i­ar­ies are use­less and dan­ger­ous; and if one holds his state based on these arms, he will stand neither firm nor safe; for they are dis­united, am­bi­tious, and without dis­cip­line, un­faith­ful, vali­ant be­fore friends, cow­ardly be­fore en­emies; they have neither the fear of God nor fi­del­ity to men, and de­struc­tion is de­ferred only so long as the at­tack is; for in peace one is robbed by them, and in war by the en­emy.