The first word that came into mind when reading The Prince for the first time was: pragmatic. Machiavelli drafted this book as a pragmatic guide to princes, unlike many of his contemporaries who else focused on telling princes to be nice, courteous, and good to the eyes of their people and God. What interested me the most was researching the book online after reading the first few chapters; what came up were multiple articles on how, at the time of its initial publication, the book gained a notoriety as being a guide on cruelty and manipulative intent. The Prince, being such an influential work by Machiavelli it’s considered his defining piece that brought forth the foundations of the label, “Machiavellian,” with it being associated to evil deeds and the immoral use of power as a means of political gain. Yet after all this research, evil was never a word that came to mind when I read the book. Pragmatic, that’s what it plainly is. What The Prince states is outside of morality, outside of being good or bad. Morality is put aside, it’s an ideal that has little effect to Machiavelli’s point. The main point is practicality, what princes must do in specific situations to maintain their power; and this practicality may come off as extreme or devoid of good morals, but when it comes to princedoms a prince’s main goal is to stay a prince, and The Prince provides a realistic, practical, pragmatic guide to do as such.
Below are the five lines that I have chosen and how they reflect what I’ve learned throughout this module and how they may be applied pragmatically in daily life.

Learn from the past and from the lessons of others before you
There’s a saying that goes, “Those who do not know their history are doomed to repeat it.” I’m not entirely sure who originated this saying, Google says it came from George Santayana but that can’t be truly verified. Digression aside, I think this saying captures the chosen line quite perfectly. Princes can’t just go about their business without being aware of their history. Knowing what has come before them, their respective kingdom or of another, is key in defining their rule. If a ruler possesses no knowledge of what was, he will not survive on what will. The Prince mentions a prince should practice high prudence in all actions, and knowing the mistakes and triumphs of the past will surely aid in governing in the present and serves as great preparation for the future.
In real life use this line can be considered in business, knowing what market trends were and using these to predict eventual trends to maximize profit. Learning form the failures of businesses before you so that you don’t commit the same mistakes. Learning the history of your own business and seeing what it’s improved and seeing what it should improve on next. It gets forward form there. This line can also be applied in art or any other craft; Writers must have a knowledge of what’s come before them know the greats of each era to understand what they are contributing to as an art form, the same goes for artists, painters, thespians, chefs. The key to achieve is standing on the shoulders of giants.

Some useful things, in general, may not be useful to you I chose this line specifically in relation to the one before it, because it means that not all tools available to you would be useful. Not all history that has come before you is essential to your success. Each princedom is different from the other, certain qualities and policies have to be adjusted if ever a princedom of different nature or culture is acquired. Not all of history should be considered, not all princedoms should be acquired, and not all advices must be heeded. A prince must know which choices yield the greatest success, choices that would benefit them more in the long run. A practical application of the line is knowing which stocks to invest in, many stocks may profitable but only a few would be profitable in long term. Buying stocks sometimes doesn’t even involve long-term, just knowing when to sell them at the right time is key and not all stocks can do that. Making the right choices at the right time is crucial, so entails the line.

Acquire and maintain with kindness and ruthlessness To have power is to have influence, to influence requires a balance of trust and fear. Do well enough to be exalted by your people and peers but threaten to an extent that prevents others from questioning your power. Such as the case Machiavelli explained with Cesare Borgia, who ruled rightfully with prudence and a balance of reverence and fear from his people. Borgia unfortunately saw an end to his power but that is of another tale. A prince must know how to project himself in a benevolent nature and to a sinister one in proper time to everyone in so that everyone will still be in his control. A practical application for this may come from being a manager or head of certain project or team. You want to show your competence and openness to your colleagues but in order for the project or business to go as you have planned you must, on occasion, remind them of who is in control of things. Being nice may only encourage them so far but to be stern and strict pushes them with the fear of disappointment.

Avoid being hated
This line was chosen in relation to the previous. There is a difference between being hated and being feared. Brewing fear from people still puts you above, it still puts you in control, though through negative means fear still supplements your authority and power; but hate does not. To be hated brews unrest from your princedom. Throw it whatever way, it does not promote your power, it questions it. Enraging allies makes them doubt you, enraging your enemies corners you, and enraging your own people may put an end you. Hate unites people against you and it should be avoided.
I think in the real world, a leader of any aspect must avoid being hated. It’s a sign of your incompetence in governing. Losing trust from your peers or colleagues will certainly lead to your demise; and simply put, being hated brings no fruit.

Always have a contingency
For my last line, I think, is the last thing any prince should consider in any situation. Whether planning an annexation, an invasion, a new colony, or a new chef. A prince must always have a contingency. A plan B. Any plan, no matter how meticulous or prudent its construction, has the potential to fail whether it be by chance or by sabotage. To be ready to fail and to know what to do next may be the greatest weapon of any prince.
I think in the real world this situation can have multiple applications. No matter what track in life, a back-up plan is always needed just in case. Whether it be a business venture, an educational course, or career choice. Contingencies are always needed just for the great unknown to come.

This will be my final thought: Machiavelli’s The Prince offers princes and even normal folk a pragmatic guide in handling their lives for the better, being Machiavellian doesn’t necessarily mean heartless immoral ruler, more on a pragmatic manager. Today, Machiavelli’s principles still stand as a useful guide. Be a proud Machiavellian.