And if, to be sure, sometimes you need to conceal a fact with words, do it in such a way that it does not become known, or, if it does become known, that you have a ready and quick defence.
—Niccolo Machiavelli, Italian statesman, political philosopher, and writer, Advice to Raffaello Girolami when he went as Ambassador to the Emperor, 1522

Posted on August 10, 2000 at 12:44 PM

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