How to Choose Advisors Who Will Tell You the Truth Instead of What You Want to Hear — The Prince

A prince is judged by the people around him. The first opinion others form of his understanding comes from observing whether his servants are capable and faithful. When they are, he looks wise because he knew how to recognize talent and keep it loyal. When they are not, the fault usually began in the choice itself.

Machiavelli cites Pandolfo Petrucci of Siena and his secretary Antonio da Venafro. There are three kinds of mind: one that comprehends by itself, one that appreciates what others comprehend, and one that does neither. The first is most excellent, the second good, the third useless. A prince who lacks the first rank can still succeed in the second if he has judgment enough to hear good and bad advice, praise the good, correct the bad, and keep a servant from deceiving him.

The test of a servant never fails: watch whether he thinks more of his own interests than yours and seeks his own profit in everything. A man who holds another's state in his hands must never think of himself but always of his prince and must not chase matters where the prince has no stake. To keep such a man honest, the prince should honor him, enrich him, share honors and cares, and at the same time show that he cannot stand alone, so that honors do not breed ambition, riches do not breed greed, and shared burdens do not make him dread a fall. When prince and servant are disposed this way, they can trust each other. When they are not, disaster follows for one or both.