Lehal Library

the prince temperament would have undermined his fame and dimin- ished his glory, but since he took his orders from the Senate, not only was the failing covered up but it actually enhanced his reputation. Going back, then, to the question of being feared or loved, my conclusion is that since people decide for themselves whether to love a ruler or not, while it’s the ruler who decides whether they’re going to fear him, a sensible man will base his power on what he controls, not on what others have freedom to choose. But he must take care, as I said, that people don’t come to hate him.