The Prince

Whoever is the occasion of another’s advancement is the cause of his own diminution. Considered one of the first works of modern philosophy, The Prince is a study on the nature of power and how to wield it.

Originally written as a manual for the Duke of Urbino, Lorenzo de' Medici, Machiavelli details the flattery, intimidation and force a leader might use to reach supremacy – and stay there – using any means at their disposal. The origin of the term ‘Machiavellian’, in all its amoral and underhand realpolitik, this unscrupulous treatise remains a source of inspiration, and caution, for leaders today.