cellent men. So, then, that which he performed cannot justly be attributed either to fortune or to virtue (Benjamin, 171).Though he lists all of the bad things about Agathocles, Machiavelli rates Agathocles very highly among great men. This is because Agathocles is able to secure rule, and hold on to it. Referring to the Duke of Valentine he says, I say, cannot find a fresher or better model than the actions of this prince (Benjamin, 171).Machiavelli is not judging how good of people these men are, but how effectively they govern. Machiavellis concept of an effective ruler is different than the types of rulers Cyrus of Persia and Tai-tsung were . Machiavellis role models are far more vile. They use tyrannical reign in order to accomplish their desired goals. While on the other hand, the other two rulers were far less violent and possessed several superior personal qualities which allowed them to rule without despotism. On the other hand these two different types of rulers are alike because they both successfully governed their country, just with different methods.Of all these rulers, Tai-tsung is the most worthy of admiration. The reason for this is not only because of his openness to ridicule, but more because of his desire to do the better good for the whole and not for himself. A second reason for this is his ability to understand people and effectively communicate in order to get the task done. Exemplifying both of these is a quote by Tai-tsung:Different people are bound to have different opinions; the important thing is that differences in opinion should not degenerate into personal antagonism. Sometimes to avoid the possibility of creating personal grievances or causing embarrassment to a colleague, and official might decide to go ahead with the implementation of a policy even though he knows that the policy is wrong. Let us remember that the preservation of a colleagues prestige, or the avoidance of embarrassment t...
