A random thought from The Prince (Machiavelli)

Quote:

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Men ought either to be well treated or crushed, because they can avenge themselves of lighter injuries, of more serious ones they cannot; therefore the injury that is to be done to a man ought to be of such a kind that one does not stand in fear of revenge.

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Chapter IX

Making an enemy out of someone who has internalized this lesson is double folly. When he exacts his revenge, he will despise your cries for mercy as the meaningless squeals of a pig being led to slaughter. To such a one, you are nothing but a fantasy, a dream from which one awakes.

I think Machiavelli has gotten a bad name. I see him as a Sun Tzu of Italy. It's a good look at human nature and strategy.

The lesson in the OP is why we will suffer for our foreign policy one day