"...They did what all wise rulers must: cope not only with present troubles but also with ones likely to arise in future, and assiduously forestall them. When trouble is sensed well in advance it can easily be remedied; if you wait for it to show itself any medicine will be too late because the disease will have become incurable. As the doctors say of a wasting disease; after a time, unless it has been diagnosed and treated at the outset, it becomes easy to diagnose but difficult to cure. So it is in poker. Poker leaks can be quickly healed if they are seen well in advance (and only a prudent player has such foresight); when, for the lack of a diagnosis, they are allowed to grow in such a way that everyone can recognise them, remedies are too late."
"...They never, to avoid a war, allowed the problems to go unchecked, because they knew that the is no avoiding war; it can only be postponed to the advantage of others. They made up their minds to wage war in Greece, in order not to have to do so in Italy. At the time they could have avoided doing either, but they would not. Nor were they ever tempted to make the most of the present time; rather, they made the most of their own prowess and prudence. Time sweeps everything along and can bring good as well as evil, evil as well as good."
"...The wish to acquire more is admittedly a very natural and common thing; and when men succeed in this they are always praised rather than condemned. But when they lack the ability to do so and yet want to acquire more at all costs, they deserve condemnation for their mistakes."
"...Private citizens who become princes purely by good fortune do so with little exertion on their own part; but subsequently they maintain their position only by considerable exertion. They make the journey as if they had wings; their problems start when they alight. This is the case with men who are granted power by the favour of luck. Such men rely on the fortune that elevated them, and this is a very capricious, unstable thing. They do not know how to maintain their position, and they cannot do so. They do not know, because they do not possess the required talent and prowess to build on their luck."
"...What he won only after endless struggles he then held with little exertion. On the other hand, things acquired through good fortune, will be lost immediately when that disappears."
"...A wise player must never take things easy in times of peace, but rather he must be assiduous in order to reap the profits in times of adversity. Then, when his fortunes change, he will be found ready to resist adversity."
These quotes are all taken from an English translation of "The Prince" by Niccolo Machiavelli, written in the early 16th century. Obviously, a good many years before poker (as we now know it) was played, yet in each one of these quotes, the message can be very easily translated to poker. At points, I have changed words entirely to link it directly to poker, but the message remains the same as the original text. At other points, I have left the words totally unchanged as I believe nothing needs to be altered, and no more need be said.
The overriding message throughout, is that things gained by luck are fleeting... only things gained by skill will remain, and that planning and foresight will see you go a lot further than making the most of now.
I'm not going to go into too much of my own interpretations of this - I believe you will gain more from it by making your own conclusions, drawing your own parallels to poker.
I firmly believe that reading this book will improve me as a poker player, and maybe even a person in general... but this isn't the only place knowledge and inspiration can be found. Knowledge is all around us - we're all drowning in it, yet most don't take the time to take any of it in... we just float through it and assume everything will be alright.
If you want to improve as a poker player - it's time to start letting that knowledge in. And not only let it in... but start hunting it, seeking more, however and wherever you can.
Poker owes you nothing, the luck gods owe you nothing... But you owe it to yourself to continually try to improve.
So Prince or Pauper? The choice is yours. Make the right choice.
