Written and Collected by Zia H Shah MD

Feminism

The Western civilization is as much based on The Prince, by Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli, published in 1532, as Philosophiæ Naturalis Principia Mathematica, by Sir Isaac Newton, published in 1687.  So, I thought all women may want to read why Machiavelli talks about the Prince and not the Princess and why USA has to still produce her first female President despite more than 230 years of her existence.  Without further ado here is the pronouncement of Machiavelli:

I conclude therefore that, fortune being changeful and mankind steadfast in their ways, so long as the two are in agreement men are successful, but unsuccessful when they fall out. For my part I consider that it is better to be adventurous than cautious, because fortune is a woman, and if you wish to keep her under, it is necessary to beat and ill-use her; and it is seen that she allows herself to be mastered by the adventurous rather than by those who go to work more coldly. She is, therefore, always, woman-like, a lover of young men, because they are less cautious, more violent, and with more audacity command her.

Niccolò di Bernardo dei Machiavelli (Italian pronunciation: [nikoˌlɔ makjaˈvɛli], 3 May 1469 – 21 June 1527) was an Italian historian, diplomat, philosopher, humanist and writer based in Florence during the Renaissance. He is remembered as a founder of modern political science, and was also a civil servant of the Florentine Republic. He also wrote comedies, carnival songs, and poetry. His personal correspondence is renowned in the Italian language. He was Secretary to the Second Chancery of the Republic of Florence from 1498 to 1512, when the Medici were out of power. He wrote his masterpiece, The Prince, after the Medici had recovered power and he no longer held a position of responsibility in Florence.

Reference:

The quote is the concluding paragraph of chapter number 25.  To read the whole text of the Prince, click here.