Being impetuous is often described as acting in a rash or impulsive way. In Chapter 25 of Machiavelli’s The Prince, the author seeks to explain why a prince should always be impetuous rather than cautious. In the beginning of Chapter 25, Machiavelli begins with the idea that all people should understand fortune and the effect that is has on human life in order to explain his theory of being impetuous. He states “many have held and hold the opinion that worldly things are so governed by fortune and by God” (pg. 98) but in actuality Machiavelli believes “that fortune is arbiter of half our actions, but also that she leaves the other half, or close to it, for us to govern (pg. 98). Here, Machiavelli rejects the idea that fortune and God control
