Ask Omac

[Omac]

This is a question thread from Omac for Omac. All questions will be directed to Omac at @Omac; or by posting below. All concerns of world domination by Omac for Omac will result in the termination of the member. All unauthorized terminations in the name of Omac will be rewarded and honored. All people who took this intro seriously will be required to use a toast related pun in their question. That will be all.

So ask me questions!

[Cfavano]

Is it better to be feared than loved if you cannot be both?

[Omac]

I would have said loved until I watched the video you sent me. I didn't want all of it yet, but I've seen most of it and now I think being feared is better. You can accomplish more, and maybe gain respect, but you also lose your only redeemable quality and eventually that will cause you. For example, Ceaser.

Saying that, I think real change comes from compassion. If you look at some of the biggest faces of history that we look up none of them are these ruthless kings. Martin Luther King Jr. or Abraham Lincon in which they're known not for their vengeful force to achieve peace, but their kind compassion.

[Cfavano]

But didnt both of them get assassinated? And yes Julius Caesars was assassinated, but was not Augustus Caesar a good prince? What about, oh, I dunno, Charlemagne?

[Omac]

Maybe that's the point. A good man will give his men compassion. A great man will give his men a purpose. The best man will sacrifice himself for the cause. The third does what the first men do with showing how important the cause is and how they should try to find peace not war. Maybe you can be both feared and loved, but you have to die to truly earn it.

[Cfavano]

What do you think of these quotes?


Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.

If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

Never was anything great achieved without danger.

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.

Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.

Politics have no relation to morals.

One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.

[Omac]

Well this took longer then I hoped. I got distracted.

Men judge generally more by the eye than by the hand, for everyone can see and few can feel. Every one sees what you appear to be, few really know what you are.

I agree with this quote. It's one thing that I always felt alienated about with "regular people." It's like when I went with my cousins to a Festive a few weeks back and they were walking around judging people. It happened when I went driving with my brother too. He saw a guy without shoes and said he must be poor. Maybe that's because of my mental illness, or maybe I'm just full of myself, but I think it varies from person to person. Some people base opinions based on physical appearance and others on emotional attachment. I don't think either is wrong.

The first method for estimating the intelligence of a ruler is to look at the men he has around him.

This makes sense. If you see an army of really skinny, weak children compared to buff, strong, and trained men the other army will have more of a presence. They will look prepared compared to the ruler that seemed to pick random people and throw them into battle.

He who wishes to be obeyed must know how to command.

I'm... I'm really not sure. This one seems like it would be obvious to me, but it's flying over my head. Sorry.

If an injury has to be done to a man it should be so severe that his vengeance need not be feared.

This is an old fashion way of saying "If you're going to do something you mine as well go all the way." Normally this means something bad, but I guess it applies here too. If you're going to attack someone you should make sure they can't attack back.

Never was anything great achieved without danger.

Without fear and risk there wouldn't be any reason for anyone not to do something. Those that want something accomplished will have to face their fears.

Where the willingness is great, the difficulties cannot be great.

If you try hard enough things will get easier? I'm not sure I completely agree with this, but I think that's point it's trying to make.

Whosoever desires constant success must change his conduct with the times.

You have to keep things fresh because the world is constantly changing and people move on. If I wrote a successful series I couldn't continue it for forever because eventually people would grow tire of it no matter how good it may be.

Politics have no relation to morals.

I disagree. I feel like people use politics and political party to hide behind. It's easier to explain your morals with a label such as liberal or to hide behind a law like gun control to admit your true morals. In my opinion, people use politics to rationalized their morals to themselves. They don't want to admit they feel abortion, gun control, vaccines, etc. are better for themselves instead of the control. There are exceptions, of course, but I think in the modern day both are very much connected.

One who deceives will always find those who allow themselves to be deceived.

Of course. If you know how to take advantage of people you'll know who to look for.

[Cfavano]

Hey hey, some more quotes, thoughts on them?

I would rather have a russet coated Captain who knows what he fights for and loves what he knows, than he who calls himself a gentleman and is but little else


War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse.


There is no instance of a nation benefiting from prolonged warfare.

Ten soldiers wisely led will beat a hundred without a head.

It seems like such a terrible shame that innocent civilians have to get hurt in wars, otherwise combat would be such a wonderfully healthy way to rid the human race of unneeded trash.



It is our duty still to endeavor to avoid war; but if it shall actually take place, no matter by whom brought on, we must defend ourselves. If our house be on fire, without inquiring whether it was fired from within or without, we must try to extinguish it.


If a man dedicates his life to good deeds and the welfare of others, he will die unthanked and unremembered. If he exercises his genius bringing misery and death to billions, his name will echo down through the millennia for a hundred lifetimes. Infamy is always more preferable to ignominy.

A prudent man should always follow in the path trodden by great men and imitate those who are most excellent.

Hence it comes that all armed prophets have been victorious, and all unarmed prophets have been destroyed.

A prince ought to have no other aim or thought, nor select anything else for his study, than war and its rules and discipline; for this is the sole art that belongs to him who rules, and it is of such force that it not only upholds those who are born princes, but it often enables men to rise from a private station to that rank. And, on the contrary, it is seen that when princes have thought more of ease than of arms they have lost their states. And the first cause of your losing it is to neglect this art; and what enables you to acquire a state is to be master of the art.

How laudable it is for a prince to keep good faith and live with integrity, and not with astuteness, every one knows. Still the experience of our times shows those princes to have done great things who have had little regard for good faith, and have been able by astuteness to confuse men's brains, and who have ultimately overcome those who have made loyalty their foundation. You must know, then, that there are two methods of fighting, the one by law, the other by force: the first method is that of men, the second of beasts; but as the first method is often insufficient, one must have recourse to the second. It is therefore necessary to know well how to use both the beast and the man. This was covertly taught to princes by ancient writers, who relate how Achilles and many others of those princes were given to Chiron the centaur to be brought up, who kept them under his discipline; this system of having for teacher one who was half beast and half man is meant to indicate that a prince must know how to use both natures, and that the one without the other is not durable. A prince being thus obliged to know well how to act as a beast must imitate the fox and the lion, for the lion cannot protect himself from snares, and the fox cannot defend himself from wolves. One must therefore be a fox to recognise snares, and a lion to frighten wolves. Those that wish to be only lions do not understand this. Therefore, a prudent ruler ought not to keep faith when by so doing it would be against his interest, and when the reasons which made him bind himself no longer exist. If men were all good, this precept would not be a good one; but as they are bad, and would not observe their faith with you, so you are not bound to keep faith with them. ...those that have been best able to imitate the fox have succeeded best. But it is necessary to be able to disguise this character well, and to be a great feigner and dissembler.

There is no other way of guarding oneself against flattery than by letting men understand that they will not offend you by speaking the truth; but when everyone can tell you the truth, you lose their respect.

it is necessary to whoever arranges to found a Republic and establish laws in it, to presuppose that all men are bad and that they will use their malignity of mind every time they have the opportunity

[Omac]

I don't really know man. The day you sent me those I did a three hour psych testing with a bunch of puzzles and math. Then I had a neurologist appoitment and a medication refill mishap. My brain is too tired to do a lot of critical thinking right now. The mini-psychologist me is on vacation. It's just me this week.

[Cfavano]

What is it like being a piece of cooked bread with some abused milk?