The Prince and Machiavelli

understanding the prince properly means more than just quoting the nasty bits. We need to realize that machiavelli is writing for a very specific purpose, which has to do with his historical context. In one of the cold hearted aphorisms he observes that people with small grievances are more dangerous than those with large ones. He recommends the method of colonization. Whereas the garrison will instigate hostility from the locals, the colony will uproot the locals and take away their land,. rendering them powerless in the process.