Beginning of Essay
Machiavelli looks at man from a leader’s point of view. Machiavelli’s philosophy about the nature of man is that man possesses both good and bad qualities, but will lean towards his own self-interests when all things are equal: thus man is a fickle creature. t ....

Middle of Essay
.... a prince shows them his benefits, they are devoted to him. He also contends that because of this sad condition of man, it is alright for a prince to break his word when such fidelity would damage him or when the reasons that made him promise are no longer relevant. This advise would not be sound if man was upright; but because he is treacherous and would not keep his promise, a prince should not consider himself bound to keep promises to him. He asserts that it is necessary for a ruler, when he is with his army, to not worry about being considered harsh because armies are never kept united and prepared for military action, unless their leader is tho ....