For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel, and not with words of eloquent wisdom, lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power. For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. For it is written, "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart." Where is the one who is wise? Where is the scribe? Where is the debater of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? For since, in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.

st. paul, 1 corinthians 1:17-25

remember Solomon. truly, all is vanity, and much studying is wearisome to the soul. 

From this one can draw a general conclusion that will never (or hardly ever) be proved wrong: He who is the cause of someone else's becoming powerful is the agent of his own destruction; for he makes his protege powerful either through his own skill or through his own strength, and either of these must provoke his protege's mistrust once he has become powerful.

machiavelli, the prince, ch.3 p.14

There is a general rule to be noted here: People should either be caressed or crushed. If you do them minor damage they will get their revenge; but if you cripple them there is nothing they can do. If you need to injure someone, do it in such a way that you do not have to fear their vengeance.

machiavelli, the prince, ch.3 p.10

compare to thucydides and his modern-day disciple donald kagan, who advise politicians to never take half measures. half measures led to the spartan defeat and the cuban missile crisis, and apparently, if machiavelli is to be believed, to every rebellion against a prince.

51. You won’t always be the strongest or fastest. You can be the toughest.

via rules for my unborn son

a lesson my father taught me well.

Yet the prince of the rings was too proud

to line up with a large army against

the sky-plague.

beowulf, 2345-2347

Augustine also witnessed direct conflict in Milan when Arian imperial troops attempted to seize a Catholic basilica, with Ambrose, the Catholic bishop, inside.

robert dodaro and margaret atkins, introduction to political writings by augustine, p.xiii

it's hard for me to see any pastor in the u.s. doing this. admittedly, my exposure is limited, but i can only think of a handful of men who would stand outside their church and calmly tell the armed marines outside that they couldn't come in.

My entire hope is exclusively in your very great mercy. Grant what you command, and command what you will.

augustine, confessions, x.40