Dear Unlearners,
Bonjour from Paris! Between sips of espresso and rain-soaked walks, I've been thinking about Machiavelli a lot. You know that famous line:
"It is better to be feared than loved, if you cannot be both."
I can't make everyone love me. Never could, never will. But I can influence who fears me. I can damn sure make them respect what I bring to the table.
Funny enough, that's exactly what Machiavelli did. When the Medici family stripped him of everything, he didn't try to make them love him. He created something so valuable they couldn't ignore him. His resume wasn't a piece of paper. It was "The Prince."
Imagine losing everything.
Your career. Your social standing. Your freedom. Even your physical safety.
This wasn't a thought experiment for Niccolò Machiavelli. It was his reality in 1513.
After fourteen years as a high-ranking diplomat of the Florentine Republic, Machiavelli's world collapsed when the Medici family reclaimed power. The transition wasn't gentle. He was imprisone…
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