Edited and translated by Peter Bondanella and Mark Musa, "The Portable Machiavel
li" not only gives the casual reader a chance to read different personal and pro
fessional works of Machiavelli, but also strives to do away with many of the myt
hs that have plagued the man's posthumous fame. For example, the famous 'the end
s justifies the means' quote is actually a gross exaggeration of what Machiavell
i originally wrote, which was 'in the actions of all men...when there is no impa
rtial arbiter, one must consider the final result'.The biggest counterargument B
ondanella and Musa can supply is the simple fact that they include a less famous
piece Machiavelli did called "The Discourses". This piece is often not mentione
d or even casually footnoted because it presents the true Machiavelli - a man wh
o was supportive of a Republic government run by the citizens.
