Machiavelli and Thoreau - Being the Citizens

Machiavelli and Thoreau have similar attitudes towards the general citizen and man. Both see all men as dumb and naïve while Thoreau sees the same, but just towards the “general” man.

Both Machiavelli and Thoreau see men as people that follow majority. Thoreau goes to say  “Men generally,... think that they ought to wait until they have persuaded the majority to alter them.” Men feel as though only a great amount of people can go against “ the machine” but deliberately don't see that this has a poor outcome and chance to change for good. Also, they fail to see that to get change they must take effective action; be a “ counteraction to the machine. General men rely on a number to make government better. This strategy only leads to the government keeping and continuing to have more power . As this is Machiavelli's whole purpose for the prince , he too see citizens as dumb; who  “are always impressed by the superficial appearance of things, and by the outcome of an enterprise.” One person alone isn’t sensible enough to distinguish the appearance of being humane, sincere and truthful apart from cruel treatment, lies and harshness. But, as long as he seems humane, sincere and truthful that is exactly what he must be, right? The people are therefore handing the Prince the upper hand in power. Both Machiavelli and Thoreau believe that citizens add to the their authorities power when they follow majority.

Machiavelli and Thoreau continue to have similar thought when it comes to men and citizens Machiavelli and Thoreau both acknowledge that men are dependent on authority, but Thoreau pins point that only to the general man, while a wise man is different. A Prince wouldn’t mind being called a miser, for even though he is “loading his people with exorbitant taxes and squeezing money out of them in every way he can”, he is still a good leader. So I would imply that he too thinks men will easily obey to the prince, in the end ,  thinking he must be burdening them to get a great return in the end . The citizens once again fail to the see that the high taxes, and work they do isn't for the country’s good but rather to beneficially gain power for the prince. Thoreau would say the same for the general man because he too is bending to the governments will. But on the other hand, to Thoreau “A wise man will only be useful as a man, and will not submit to be “clay” and “stop a hole to keep the wind away”, but leave that office to his dust at least” The wise citizen will not be used for the benefit of the Government.  He will not conform to the injustices of the government, but rather leave the government to itself. The general man in Machiavelli and Thoreau's eyes don't have the confidence to be self dependent individuals while the wise man stands apart, a far from authority’s rule.