" ... a prince, so long as he keeps his subjects united and loyal, ought not to mind the reproach of cruelty; because with a few examples he will be more merciful than those who, *through too much mercy*, *allow disorders to arise*, *from which follow murders and robberies*; for these are wont to injure *the whole people*, whilst those executions which originate with a prince offend the individual only."
From the 17th Chapter of The Prince, concerning cruelty and clemency and whether it is better to be loved than feared
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