Niccolò Machiavelli quotes
1469 – 1527 · Florentine Renaissance, 15th–16th century · Diplomat, civil servant, historian and political theorist
About Niccolò Machiavelli
Born in Florence (1469–1527), he served as a diplomat and civil servant for the Florentine republic. After his political fall, he wrote studies of power, statecraft and republican institutions — notably Il Principe and the Discourses — that helped establish modern political realism.
Works: Il Principe (The Prince); Discourses on Livy
Quotes
“The end justifies the means.”
Source: The Prince, 1513 · Check the source
Disputed attributionWhat we know
- What is documented
- Scholarly evidence shows the exact English/French formula is not found verbatim in Machiavelli’s texts; it functions as a later summary of themes from his works.
- What remains uncertain
- Attribution remains disputed: the phrase is a popular paraphrase and some sources suggest other early authors, so the precise origin is uncertain.
This line condenses a hard political question: can a worthy goal excuse dubious actions? The idea is linked to Niccolò Machiavelli’s political realism—he examined power and survival without grounding policy in moral ideals—but the exact wording is a later shorthand, not a verified line from his works.