The Prince is a political treatise by Niccolò Machiavelli, that offers pragmatic advice to rulers on how to acquire and maintain power, emphasizing realism over idealism and suggesting that a ruler may need to use immoral means for the good of the state, famously arguing it is better to be feared than loved if one cannot be both. It is a foundational text in modern political science, known for its controversial and ruthless approach to leadership, which has influenced political thought for years
