It is good to be thought liberal. It is bad to practice liberality. It is good to practice liberality with your army. It is good to be thought of compassionate and not cruel. By giving few examples of cruelty, a prince can be more truly compassionate.
Men generally are ungrateful, prone to avoid danger, thirsty for gain.
The prince should not observe promises when such observance is to his disadvantage. It is not necessary for a prince to have all the virtues mentioned above, but it is very necessary to seem to have them. It is better to be rash than over-cautious. This page is maintained by George Mitrevski at Auburn University.