What is more crucial for a leader: to be loved, or to be feared? Is it better to keep one’s word, or to manipulate, deceive, and force others to comply? Written in exile after a life immersed in the volatile politics of Renaissance Italy, Niccolò Machiavelli’s The Prince is the world’s most infamous—and misunderstood—handbook of power. Stripping away the lofty ideals of traditional political philosophy, Machiavelli examines power with ruthless, clear-eyed pragmatism. He argues that for a ruler seeking to found a state and secure his reign, the ends do justify the means. Cruelty can be more merciful than weakness; cunning and deception are often wiser than honor; and the appearance of virtue is frequently more vital than virtue itself. More than five centuries after its publication, this slim, explosive volume remains shockingly relevant. It has shaped the strategies of emperors and CEOs, inspired admiration and revulsion, and given us the enduring term “Machiavellian.” Whether read as a cynical prescription for tyranny or a sober, factual analysis of how power is truly won and held, The Prince is an indispensable, provocative guide to the nature of leadership, ambition, and realpolitik.