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CLAUDIA HART | A CHILD'S MACHIAVELLI
A CHILD’S MACHIAVELLI by Claudia Hart was initially written and illustrated by the artist in 1995, inspired by Niccolo Machiavelli’s Renaissance treatise, THE PRINCE, the first book of political philosophy. Hart’s version began as a series of oil paintings and a small catalog, produced by the Realismus Studio, at the Neue Gesellschaft für Bildende Kunst, Berlin in 1995.
The catalog was eventually released as an expanded hardcover by Penguin USA in 1998, along with German and French editions.
While keeping to the meaning of the original, Hart rewrote THE PRINCE, reflecting street values and the voice of youth culture, as if Machiavelli’s book, meant to advise kings on seizing power, was a primer to teach good manners to small children.
"We are obviously in a period of cultural crisis, with the world slipping into autocracies, war in the Ukraine, and democracy dramatically destabilized in the USA. Social media is used to spread misinformation and engender fear and terror in order to manipulate the populace.
The little mottos that I wrote in the early nineties are more relevant now than ever. They seem to be pointedly directed at the cultural and political world of today. Yet when I wrote them, I felt that I was translating Machiavelli’s early 16th-century text into the politics of that time."
– Claudia Hart, June 2023
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Claudia Hart
Go where the wind blows
![](https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/0555/7229/9962/files/PM_Hart_If_you_help_someone_make_big.jpg?v=1687877556)
Claudia Hart
If you help make someone Big, watch out
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Claudia Hart
Everyone says you should be nice
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Claudia Hart
When you cheat, just don’t let anybody notice
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Claudia Hart
People who cheat are always more successful than people who are always honest
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Claudia Hart
You’re better off having people scared of you than liking you
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Claudia Hart
Now it’s okay if people are scared of you, just make sure they don’t hate you
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Claudia Hart
Stand up for your friends, ‘cos if they don’t get whipped, they’re gonna come after you
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Claudia Hart
Be really nice to your closest underlings
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Claudia Hart
If somebody’s go to hate you, make sure its a bunch of weaklings with no money
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Claudia Hart
Make sure you only let people see you doing stuff where you come off really good
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Claudia Hart
If you Wanna give presents to people, make sure its other people’s stuff
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Claudia Hart
Only give things away when people are watching
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Claudia Hart
Have five best friends that you let tell what they really think, but only when you ask
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Claudia Hart
You can do ANYTHING to people as long as you don’t steal their girlfriends
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Claudia Hart
Don’t keep your promises if there’s no reason to anymore - nobody else does
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Claudia Hart
Every once and a while, throw a big party and invite all the Little People
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Claudia Hart
The hardest job you can ever do is try to make things better for the Little Guys
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Claudia Hart
Watch out for any new guy in the neighborhood
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Claudia Hart
Never be afraid to beat someone up if you have to
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Claudia Hart
If you want to take over someplace
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Claudia Hart
When you take over someplace kill off everyone who’s against you, pronto
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Claudia Hart
If you wanna take over someplace where the people could decide for themselves
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Claudia Hart
If you are already on the top, remember
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Claudia Hart
If people're scared of you at first, you can boss them around easier later
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Claudia Hart
Be nice to the people who are really dependent on you
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Claudia Hart
Give the guys underneath you all the dirty work to do
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Claudia Hart
There are two kinds of people: the guys on the top and the guys on the bottom
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Claudia Hart
A gun is a man’s best friend 01
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