Painterly two toy soldiers on scorched ground, one standing and one fallen, beneath a smoky sky.

Original artwork, not a still

The Prince

Niccolò Machiavelli

The Romans never allowed a trouble spot to remain simply to avoid going to war over it, because they knew that wars don’t just go away, they are only postponed to someone else’s advantage.

Behind the line

What it means

Our interpretation.

The speaker credits the Romans with dealing with problems early, refusing to let a dangerous situation linger merely to dodge conflict. In this view, war cannot be avoided by delay; it simply waits and eventually arrives on terms that favour someone else.

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