Cover of The Prince

The Prince

by Niccolò Machiavelli · first published 1515

220mentions
61recommended by
194HN commenters
2007–2026first – last mentioned

31% recommend67% neutral2% critical

Why HN recommends it

Short, unsentimental look at how power actually works, describing politics as it is rather than as it should be. Suggested for managers, leaders, and anyone dealing with people, organizations, or political strategy.

Summarised by Claude from recommending comments

PhilosophyPolitics & SocietyBiography & Memoir

The Prince (Italian: Il Principe [il ˈprintʃipe]; Latin: De Principatibus) is a 16th-century political treatise written by Italian diplomat and political theorist Niccolò Machiavelli as an instruction guide for new princes and royals. The general theme of The Prince is of accepting that the aims of princes – such as glory and survival – can justify the use of immoral means to achieve those ends. From Machiavelli's correspondence, a version appears to have been distributed in 1513, using a Latin title, De Principatibus (Of Principalities). However, the printed version was not published until

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Mentions per year

200 2007: 1 mention2008: 2 mentions2009: 7 mentions2010: 5 mentions2011: 10 mentions2012: 4 mentions2013: 8 mentions2014: 5 mentions2015: 12 mentions2016: 17 mentions2017: 20 mentions2018: 9 mentions2019: 18 mentions2020: 16 mentions2021: 15 mentions2022: 14 mentions2023: 20 mentions2024: 13 mentions2025: 7 mentions2026: 8 mentions200720172026

What Hacker News says

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