The Prince
Machiavelli separated politics from morality and told rulers the truth about how power actually works.
“It is much safer to be feared than loved, if one of the two has to be wanting.”
Why It Matters
Machiavelli separated politics from morality and told rulers the truth about how power actually works. The book's reputation as evil is mostly undeserved — it is more of a clear-eyed diagnosis than a prescription. Every realistic political thinker since, from Hobbes to Kissinger, is in Machiavelli's debt.
The 
Take
Personal reviewAwesome historical and political analysis of wielding state power. Super short, like 80 minute read. Backed up with evidence and just seems like the first real political vision around realpolitik
Notable Quotes
“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”
“The lion cannot protect himself from traps, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognize traps, and a lion to frighten wolves.”