The Prince · Chapter
XVI: Concerning Liberality and Meanness explained
Machiavelli argues that while it would be ideal to be considered liberal, the practical consequences of pursuing such a reputation often lead to financial ruin, heavy taxation, and hatred from subjects.
What happens
Machiavelli argues that while it would be ideal to be considered liberal, the practical consequences of pursuing such a reputation often lead to financial ruin, heavy taxation, and hatred from subjects. He advises the prince to accept a reputation for meanness, as it allows for defense and enterprise without burdening the people, citing examples like Pope Julius II and the King of Spain. He distinguishes between spending one's own resources (where frugality is wise) and spending others' (where liberality can be advantageous, as with Cyrus, Caesar, and Alexander). Ultimately, he concludes that meanness brings reproach without hatred, while liberality risks both poverty and hatred.
Themes in this chapter
Pragmatism Over Morality
Machiavelli prioritizes practical outcomes over the moral virtue of liberality, advising the prince to accept the vice of meanness if it leads to stability and security.
The Importance of Public Perception
The chapter focuses on how a prince's reputation for liberality or meanness affects his ability to govern, emphasizing the need to avoid being hated or despised.
Human Nature and Its Exploitation
Machiavelli exploits human tendencies by noting that subjects are numerous and easily pleased by not being taxed, while the few who receive gifts are less significant.
Characters to notice
- Pope Julius II
Cited as an example of a prince who gained the papacy through a reputation for liberality but later maintained his wars without extra taxes due to prior thriftiness.
- Ferdinand of Aragon
Mentioned as the present King of Spain who would not have succeeded in many enterprises if he had been reputed liberal.
- Cyrus
Used as an example of a leader who could be liberal with others' property to gain followers.
- Alexander the Great
Cited alongside Cyrus and Caesar as a prince who squandered others' wealth to maintain his army.
- Caesar Alexander
Referenced as Caesar, who obtained empire by liberality but would have destroyed his government if he had not moderated expenses after becoming prince.
Key passages
“Therefore it is wiser to have a reputation for meanness which brings reproach without hatred, than to be compelled through seeking a reputation for liberality to incur a name for rapacity which begets reproach with hatred.”
It is better to be seen as stingy, which may draw criticism but not hatred, than to be forced into greediness by trying to appear generous, which leads to both criticism and hatred.
This encapsulates Machiavelli's core argument that avoiding hatred is more important than avoiding reproach.
“And there is nothing wastes so rapidly as liberality, for even whilst you exercise it you lose the power to do so, and so become either poor or despised, or else, in avoiding poverty, rapacious and hated.”
Generosity quickly depletes your resources, leaving you either poor and scorned or, if you try to avoid poverty, greedy and hated.
Machiavelli warns that liberality is self-defeating, leading to the very outcomes a prince should avoid.