need for stability in a prince’s principality: at stake is
its preservationThe state has no transcendent justification: it is an instrument for common good separation between the church and the state
The art of the state: political techniques of extreme realism
Virtú: no moral connotation virtuous are those qualities and attitudes that contribute to the success of the prince a moral vice can well be a political virtue (for example, cruelty)
Prudence: considering not only the short period, but the long period as well