Men in general judge more from appearances than from reality. All men have eyes, but few have the gift of penetration.

This remark is commonly attributed to Niccolò Machiavelli’s political handbook for rulers, written after his fall from office in Florence. In 1512 the Medici returned to power; Machiavelli was dismissed, briefly imprisoned, and then retired to the countryside. There he composed The Prince (c. 1513; first published 1532), distilling lessons from Italian power politics and the conduct of successful rulers. The observation fits Machiavelli’s recurring emphasis on “appearance” (seeming virtuous, strong, pious) as a practical instrument of rule in a world where most people evaluate leaders superficially and outcomes matter more than intentions.

Machiavelli argues that public judgment is usually visual and immediate: people respond to what a leader seems to be rather than what he is. “Eyes” stand for common perception—everyone can see displays of virtue, generosity, or strength—while “penetration” denotes rare discernment, the ability to infer motives, constraints, and long-term consequences behind the spectacle. The line underwrites his pragmatic counsel that political legitimacy often depends on managing reputation and symbols. It is not a celebration of deception for its own sake so much as a sober claim about how opinion forms: because most observers cannot or will not investigate reality, effective power frequently turns on controlling appearances.

“Everyone sees what you appear to be, few experience what you really are.”
“Men in general judge by the eye rather than by the hand.”
“Everyone sees what you seem to be; few know what you are.”