"Somewhere in 'The Prince' Machiavelli says 'it is much safer to be feared than loved.' That sounds harsh but it's true as fuck. The problem with love is that it's given freely, and therefore can be freely taken away. But not fear: if people are scared of you they'll obey you, and it's that fucking simple. Machiavelli was demonised for saying it, literally — in Elizabethan times he was pretty much synonymous with the devil. But that only goes to show that most people are too hypocritical to listen to the truth."
The student took another draw on the joint. Its red tip flared, grass crackled inside the paper. His girlfriend was sitting on the sofa next to him, picking the last flakes of varnish off her fingernails, stretching out her fingers, picking at her nails again.
"I'll tell you another thing Machiavelli said: 'it is necessary to be a great feigner and dissembler: men in general judge more by the eyes than by the hands.' That's true as well, but no one will ever admit it. No fucking chance. People just regurgitate the same old bullshit about being honest and being yourself, as if anyone ever got anywhere by being themselves."
His friend, who was sitting in the armchair beside the sofa, met his gaze and smiled.
"'Fortune is a woman,' Machiavelli said, 'and it is necessary, if you wish to master her, to conquer her by force.' Not exactly politically correct, but the old Italian bastard knew what he was talking about. And don't think he was any stranger to force: he was tortured by the Medici family when they regained power in Florence. Probably he wished life could have been different, same as we all do. Only he was too honest to deceive himself about it."
The student sighed and tapped ash into the oval mouth of a beer can. He gave the joint to his girlfriend who took a couple of draws before passing it to his friend. The sofa creaked as she leaned towards him.
"But the really fucked up thing is that Machiavelli didn't give us the whole truth, not even him. He left us with the comforting delusion that he was only talking about power politics. I mean, that all his laws of cruelty and deception were only meant for generals and princes, and not for the lives of ordinary people like us. But maybe that's just as well. After all, no-one can handle too much truth."
He stopped talking, evidently pleased with his speech. Then he slid his arm around his girlfriend's waist and nuzzled against her shoulder, closing his eyes as he did so. His girlfriend leant her head towards him, but did not shut her eyes. She watched his friend as he drew on the joint, held it in.
