ABOUT THIS EPISODE
Marcus Aurelius Anderson breaks down the philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli, focusing on fortuna versus virtue, using excerpts from his upcoming book, Acta Non Verba: Transforming Adversity into Victory (out 10/13/2026). He explores how Machiavelli's concepts of luck and personal will apply to leadership, adversity, and resilience today, closing with reflective "Acta Non Verba" questions for listeners.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
- 1:31 – Marcus explains Machiavelli's core idea that fortuna (luck) and virtue (bravery, power, will) are the two forces that determine a prince's fate.
- 3:51 – A key quote from The Prince, Ch. 25: fortune controls only half of our actions; the rest is up to us.
- 5:54 – Machiavelli's warning that no principality is secure without its own army, since mercenaries can't be trusted in battle.
- 8:07 – Marcus reframes adversity as a gift from fortuna, meant to test princes (and us) on the path to greatness.
Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.
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English
United States
IN THIS EPISODE
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