The Prince: My Life

"It is necessary not only to pay attention to immediate crises, but to foresee those that will come, and to make every effort to prevent them...In this matter it is as doctors say of consumption: In the beginning the disease is easy to cure, difficult to diagnose; but, after a while, if it has not been diagnosed and treated early, it becomes easy to diagnose and hard to cure. So, too, in politics, for if you foresee problems while they are far off they can easily be dealt with; but when, because you have failed to see them coming, you allow them to grow to the point that anyone can recognize them, then it is too late to do anything." -Machiavelli

I'd have to say that I can find no real relation to The Prince and my own life other than the fact that I can understand where he is coming from in a few instances. One example that I really took to is found on page 11 when Machiavelli is talking about mixed principalities and how you should not only immediately remedy complications that come your way, but also try to foresee those that will come. I think this is advice that everyone should try to live by becuase there is no doubt that once you start to put off your problems, they only grow in size and number, sometimes to the point to where they are too great to handle. I beleive (from experience) that it is a good thing to catch snags early, rather than to wait and tell yourself that you'll take care of it later, because in the meantime, it can only get worse. As Machiavelli explains it, it's like what doctors say of consumption: "In the beginning the disease is easy to cure, diffucult to diagnose; but, after a while, if it has not been diagnosed and treated early, it becomes easy to diagnose and hard to cure."