“I turn cruel when I'm empty. If I cannot be loved, I must be feared."
- Niccolò Machiavelli
Niccolò Machiavelli examined the realities of power, political order, ambition, conflict, and human nature. Much of his writing focused on the difference between how politics ideally should function and how it operates in practice. In The Prince, he questioned the belief that effective rulers could always follow conventional morality. Instead, he argued that changing political conditions might require adaptability, careful calculation, and decisions that would be considered unacceptable in ordinary private life. His idea of virtù referred less to moral virtue and more to a leader’s skill, determination, and ability to respond effectively to unpredictable circumstances.
Machiavelli, however, was not simply an advocate for ruthless leadership. In Discourses on Livy, he expressed considerable interest in republican government, civic freedom, public involvement, and even the constructive role that conflict between social groups could play. He believed successful political institutions needed to recognize human ambition and self-interest rather than assume those qualities could simply disappear. At the heart of his political thought was a practical question: how can a stable political system endure when ambition, competing interests, changing fortune, and human weakness constantly threaten to undermine it?
Duncan Trussell recorded this conversation with his mother while she was facing terminal cancer.
What you’re hearing isn’t scripted. It isn’t performed. It’s a son sitting with his dying mother trying to hold onto every word before the words run out.
And she, the one facing the end, is the one doing the comforting.
That is what makes these conversations so extraordinary. Not the wisdom itself, as profound as it is. But who it’s coming from. A woman who had every reason to be consumed by her own fear choosing instead to spend what little time remained helping her son understand how to live without her.
These recordings became the heart of The Midnight Gospel. And I always go back to watch it again.
They remain some of the most honest conversations about death, love and what it means to be human ever put on screen…
eight years ago today we lost one of the greats. forever thankful for your artistry and how it’s helped me and so many others heal. rest in paradise mac miller ♡🪽
This guy, Eric Buck, sets up a floating platform at Barton Springs in Austin, Texas, and rolls Jiu-Jitsu with any stranger willing to challenge him
IG / noahtheboamma
Our goalie decided we weren’t gonna lose today.. One of the greatest American sport performances of all time
🗣🗣 THANK YOU FOR STANDING ON YOUR HEAD CONNOR HELLEBUYCK
🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸
Jackson Hole Ski Resort Recently Installed A Live Cam On The World Famous "Corbets Couloir" And The Videos Are Absolutely Incredible https://t.co/OGZGbacOvu
It is said that the bison is the only animal to turn and face a storm. To get through the blizzard faster. To not hide. To face difficult times head on. To meet the moment.
For the moment is all we have.