Nicollo Machiavelli, the renown author of the Prince, believed that success and Victory accomplished has this snow ball like effect and nature to pull the victor beyond the set mark.
In his advice to princes;
“Princes and republics should content themselves with victory, for when they aim at more, they generally lose. The use of insulting language toward an enemy arises from the insolence of victory, or from the false hope of victory, which latter misleads men as often in their actions as in their words; for when this false hope takes possession of the mind, it makes men go beyond the mark, and causes them to sacrifice a certain good for an uncertain better.”
(Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469-1527)
The term Machiavelli is more synonymous with Politics but his words of advise can be applied to any form of Power where one garners victory or achievement but is tempted to go beyond the ‘exclamation mark’.
For instance; Financial Gain, Favours or Help, War and even the rewarding behaviours like arguing or sex.
The art of contentment – how much is Enough and when is the right time to stop?
Going by Machiavelli’s words, the right time to stop is when the victory has been achieved or success has been earned.
Apart from the addictive pull we have to push beyond the success mark, we risk growing overconfident and arrogant and as we know, the combination of the two tempts us to become ambitious beyond the set point.
During Machiavelli’s time, Generals who garnered victories in the battlefields were seen as a threat to the rulers and kings of the time. The rulers became suspicious because such Generals tended to grow ambitious that they would even topple the rulers of the time.
The overconfidence makes you believe that going into more battles or conflicts will garner you even more victories. You also risk using the same tactics that surely garnered you victories in the past over and over not being able to adjust giving the enemy permission to read you or even places you in uncertain positions when circumstances change.
The praise that follows after success has a blinding effect that makes one to become arrogant, complacent or even careless.
The Swahili have a proverb for this; Mgema akisifiwa , Tembo hulitilia Maji (If the palm-wine tapper is praised, he dilutes the palm-wine”.)
Beware of the dangers to success and Victory !Â