For among other evils which being unarmed brings you, it causes you to be despised, and this is one of those ignominies against which a prince ought to guard himself, as is shown later on. Because there is nothing proportionate between the armed and the unarmed; and it is not reasonable that he who is armed should yield obedience willingly to him who is unarmed, or that the unarmed man should be secure among armed servants. Because, there being in the one disdain and in the other suspicion, it is not possible for them to work well together.
Nicolo Machiavelli
1513
The Prince, CHAPTER XIV
[Before choosing this as QOTD I had a nagging feeling I had already post it. I searched for the fragment “nothing proportionate between the armed and the unarmed” and found nothing. I schedule it for May 21. I still had the nagging feeling and searched for ‘Machiavelli’. I found a shorter version I had posted on May 23, 9 years ago. I changed the posting date for this version to match the anniversary of the previous.
Machiavelli correctly points out that it is not reasonable that the people can be secure if we are unarmed and our public servants are armed. They already despise us. You know what will happen if we ever become unarmed.—Joe]
Thanks Joe, I’ve never taken the time to read him. But I will now. In the same vein, I’ve always taken Benjamin Franklin to heart. Those that beat their swords into plow shears. Will end up plowing for those that did not! It’s human nature. That if good people don’t rule. Bad people certainly will.