Lehal Library

womanish abstaining from extramarital shortcomings another loyal; one effeminate and fearful, another bold and brave; one considerate, another arrogant; one promiscuous, another chaste; one straightforward, another devious; one stubborn, another accommodating; one solemn, another superficial; one religious, another unbelieving, and so on. And I’m sure we’d all agree that it would be an excellent thing if a ruler were to have all the good qualities mentioned above and none of the bad; but since it’s in the nature of life that you can’t have or practise all those qualities all of the time, a ruler must take care to avoid the disgrace that goes with the kind of failings that could lose him his position. As for failings that wouldn’t lead to his losing power, he should avoid them if he can; but if he can’t, he needn’t worry too much. In the same way, he mustn’t be concerned about the bad reputation that comes with those negative qualities that are almost essential if he is to hold on to power. If you think about it, there’ll always be something that looks morally right but would actually lead a ruler to disaster, and something else that looks wrong but will bring security and success.