Machiavelli concludes, in one of the most often quoted passages of the book, that fortune is like a woman (the word fortuna, in Italian, is a feminine noun, so this makes a little more sense in the original); if you wish to master her, you must conquer her by force. Moreover, she is more “willing” to be conquered by forceful men of ability than by timid cowards (remember that the word virtù means, literally, “manliness”).
Machiavelli's the Prince
vs.
The truly powerful Republics and Princes buy friendships not with money, but with virtue and reputation of strength.
Chapter 30 Machiavelli's The Discourses on Livy
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