About This Quote
This quote is a bit abstract, as it doesn’t seem to be a direct question. It is clear that the answer to the question is “feared.” If you want people to respect you, then you want them to fear you. On the other hand, if you fear people, they don’t fear you. So, what do we gain from being loved? We gain a lot of things from being loved, but not all of those things are positive.
For example, if we are loved for our wealth or our looks, we have no power over those things. In other words, we can’t influence them. If we are loved for our intelligence or our talents, those things only matter to others and not us.
In both cases, we lose control over our lives and the kind of life that we have chosen for ourselves.
Source: The Prince
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