When I read Machiavelli, The Prince (1513) and saw the analogy of the how a painter, to get perspective he must view from the top of the mountain (the prince) but must also come down to the bottom of the valley to have a full understanding, I saw a relation between the ruler and the people. "Similarly, to know the people well one must be a prince, and to know princes well one must be, oneself, of the people". (pg.3) After seeing this I interpreted it that a ruler should never be far from their people and should always understand what the people need and want and the first thing that popped into my head was the famous quote "If they cant find bread, let them eat cake!" spoken by Marie Antoinette after hearing that the peasants of her kingdom had no bread to eat. If anything, Machiavelli means to be more in touch with the public and not offer a luxury to the people when they cant find the most basic necessity, or your rule will not last a very long time..
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