The Prince Chapter 22
Concerning the prince's ministers
A prince's wisdom will be judged by the quality of his ministers and civil servants. There are three types of minds: capable of thinking for itself, capable of understanding the thinking of others, and capable of neither the first nor the second. The first type is the most excellent, but a prince who has the second kind is able to succeed as well. A minister must be someone who has the prince's interests in mind over his own. If a minister is given to thinking about himself, he is not to be trusted. But for a minister that holds the affairs of the state in the highest regard, a prince must honor and entrust duties to him generously so that he will become dependent upon the success of the state, and consequently, the prince.