I’ve been re-listening to Mike Duncan’s “The History of Rome” podcast, and it’s interesting to see how a lot of the issues that plague modern countries and leaders happened back then, both during the Republic and the Empire. Here are a few of my thoughts:

• Keep your friends close and your enemies in a small iron box.
• If you’re going to be just and merciful, be just and merciful.  If you’re going to be bloodthirsty, be bloodthirsty.  Trying to be both will just get you shanked.
• It is better to be loved than feared, but it is better to be feared than to be murdered and thrown in a river.
• Friends and supporters that are there for you because you pay them off will make extremely difficult enemies when you can’t afford them anymore.
• There are enough problems in the world.  Don’t go poking your neighbors in the eye out of boredom.
• The children and grandchildren of very successful people should be watched with a jaundiced eye.
• Giving power to someone before they’ve established a track record that says they can handle it is a very bad thing.