“Men rise from one ambition to another, first they seek to secure themselves against attack, and then they attack others”
— Niccolo Machiavelli
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Simplified Meaning:
People tend to go from one goal to the next. At first, they focus on protecting themselves from any dangers or threats. Once they feel safe, they often try to take control or go after others. Imagine a company that starts by making sure it can survive and not go out of business. After it becomes successful and stable, it might start trying to buy out or defeat its competitors to grow even bigger. This pattern shows that once someone or something feels secure, their next step is often to get more power or control. One way to apply this in life is to be aware of how ambitions can change and to strive for balance, ensuring that the drive for more doesn’t lead to harming others.
Related tags
Aggression Ambition Competition Conflict Human behavior Human nature Political theory Power Security Self-defenseFEATURED QUOTES
