Machiavelli (c. 1469-1527)
“He who becomes prince by help of the nobility has greater difficulty in maintaining his power than he who is raised by the populace, for he is surrounded by those who think themselves his equals, and is thus unable to direct or command as he pleases.”
- From The Prince (chapter 19) by Machiavelli, translated and printed by the Henry Regnery Company, 1948.
