I desire to go to hell, and not to heaven. In the former place I shall enjoy the company of popes, kings, and princes, while in the latter are only beggars, monks, hermits, and apostles. - Niccolò Machiavelli☆1469 †1527
Niccolò Machiavelli was a Florentine diplomat, philosopher, and author whose political treatise The Prince earned him recognition as the father of modern political philosophy. He served in various diplomatic roles for the Florentine Republic before his exile in 1512, during which he wrote his most influential works. He died on 21 June 1527, at 58, from a stomach ailment, after receiving his last rites — his reported dying jest a final piece of irony from a man famous for cynicism about power.