What did Machiavelli believe about rulers?

Also to know is, what was Machiavelli's advice to rulers?

Machiavelli advises the ruler to become a "great liar and deceiver", and that men are so easy to deceive, that the ruler won't have an issue with lying to others. He justifies this by saying that men are wicked, and never keep their words, therefore the ruler doesn't have to keep his.

Subsequently, question is, what according to Machiavelli is the basis of political authority? According to Machiavelli, the prince needs to be liked by the people, and must deal with people who don't like him in certain ways.

Also to know is, what was Machiavelli's philosophy?

Niccolò Machiavelli, 1469 - 1527 A prince … cannot observe all those things for which men are held good, since he is often under a necessity, to maintain his state, of acting against faith, against charity, against humanity, against religion.

How did Machiavelli think a prince should behave?

Machiavelli does not argue that a prince should actively avoid doing what is good but that, if necessary, a prince must be prepared to act unethically. Although Machiavelli's prince rules in an autocratic state, he must nonetheless practice the kind of politics of image demanded within republics and democracies.