Editing Agathocles of Syracuse (section)

==Legacy==
Agathocles was cited as an example "Of those who become princes through their crimes" in chapter 8 of [[Niccolò Machiavelli]]'s treatise on politics -  ''[[The Prince]]'' (1513).
He was described as behaving as a criminal at every stage of his career. Machiavelli claimed: {{blockquote|Agathocles, the Sicilian, became King of Syracuse not only from a private but from a low and abject position. This man, the son of a potter, through all the changes in his fortunes, always led an infamous life. Nevertheless, he accompanied his infamies with so much ability of mind and body that, having devoted himself to the military profession, he rose through its ranks to be Praetor of Syracuse.<ref name="gutenberg">{{cite web|url=https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1232/1232-h/1232-h.htm#link2HCH0008|website=gutenberg.org|title=The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Prince, by Nicolo Machiavelli &#124; Chapter VIII |access-date=15 January 2022}}</ref>}}

Machiavelli goes on to reason that Agathocles' success, in contrast to other criminal tyrants, was due to his ability to commit his crimes quickly and ruthlessly, and states that cruelties are best used when they
{{blockquote|are applied at one blow and are necessary to one's security, and that are not persisted in afterwards unless they can be turned to the advantage of the subjects.}}