A prince ought to have two fears one from within on account of his subjects the other from without on account of external powers. From the latter he is defended by being well armed and having good allies and if he is well armed he will have good friends and affairs will always remain quiet within when they are quiet without unless they should have been already disturbed by conspiracy and even should affairs outside be disturbed if he has carried out his preparations and has lived as I have said as long as he does not despair he will resist every attack. Anonymous
About This Quote

Here, Machiavelli gives his thoughts on how a prince should act when confronted with the possibility of an attack from without. He advises that a prince constantly assess the situation to see if there are any signs of an impending attack. If there are, he must prepare for it by building up his army and making alliances with other countries. If an attack does occur, he must be prepared to resist it.

Rather than having two fears, Machiavelli argues that a prince should have only one fear. It should be one fear, not two separate fears. The greatest danger is to think that you are in danger from both sides.

Source: The Prince

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