Although Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli wrote centuries apart from each other these two leaders share similar believes on government. Lao-Tzu describes his ideas in Thoughts from the Tao-te-Ching. Machiavelli states his ideas in The Qualities of a Prince. Lao Tzu believed that a ruler will be respected and followed if he does not act powerfully and applies too rules. Machiavelli, on the other hand, believed in a strong government controlled by a prince, who was more straight forward and maintained power than moral principles. At a glance, these two authors seem like total opposites, but if you dig deeper into these two pieces, comparisons can be made between the two. For example, both Lao-Tzu and Machiavelli believe that in an ideal world, balance can be achieved. In Thoughts from the Tao-te-Ching, Lao-Tzu states “Without trying to control them she lets them go their way, and resides at the center of the circle.” (26 Verse 29) This statement correlates with Machiavelli's theory of the fox and the lion. In this theory, Machiavelli explains that a prince should know how to make good use of his own instincts. Machiavelli uses the comparison of a fox and a lion. He states that a lion cannot defend itself from traps and the fox cannot defend itself from wolves. Therefore it it smart to combine the qualities of cleverness and strength when ruling. For example if a leader, is clever he can avoid violence. And if he cannot, he can use his strength to overcome it.
Both these men agree that hatred should be avoided at all costs. Machiavelli believes that fear is the best way. While Lao-Tzu believes that remaining anonymous is the best path toward not being hated. They both believe that if the people hated their leader, that would cause rebellion, civil war, and drama. Lao-tzu wants a balanced place where people are quietly content and Machiavelli wants the leader to stay on top. If the leaders were hated, that would break both of their principles.
If we read these two...