| Good, I'm glad you added your comment. Machiavelli was pragmatic and had to make decisions which everyone doesn't agree with. I also personally take issue with the personality test questions. For instance, white lies are often more socially acceptable than being perfecting honest. |
The more accurate way to understand Machiavelli is that he was a career civil servant who loved his job and all its machinations...he loved “playing the game”. He had come down on the wrong side in one of the periodic wars of the day, and had been exiled from Florence back to his country estate. Think of him as a Washington careerist GS-ranker who had suddenly lost his job and been exiled all the way back to Bug Tussle, Iowa.
He did well in his exiled life, but wanted more than anything to get back in “the great game”...”The Prince” and “Discourses on Livy” are more than anything an open appeal to the new masters of Florentian power. Unfortunately for him (or fortunately, as the case may be), he was turned down cold.