Ethics and power are separate.

The modern strategist of power, Robert Greene, declared with cold clarity: “Ethics and power are separate.” In this stark saying he reveals the chasm that has haunted human history—that the pursuit of power often follows a path unbound by ethics, and that morality, noble though it is, does not always rule the battlefield of ambition. Greene does not deny the value of virtue; rather, he unveils the harsh truth that those who rise in courts, kingdoms, and empires often do so by methods the righteous would shun.

The origin of this insight lies in Greene’s study of rulers, generals, and intrigues across the centuries. He observed that power obeys its own laws, as fire obeys the wind: it spreads where opportunity allows, regardless of virtue. Ethics may guide the soul, but they rarely dictate the struggles of dynasties. This is why Greene speaks with the voice of warning—to remind us that those who confuse morality with might will often find themselves unprepared, outplayed, or destroyed.

History bears witness in the tale of Machiavelli’s Prince, who advised rulers that it is better to be feared than loved if one cannot be both. The Medici and their rivals did not hold their thrones by gentle persuasion, but by deception, alliances, and ruthless power. While saints preached virtue in the streets, it was the cunning who commanded armies and treasuries. The separation of ethics and power was not theory—it was reality, written in the blood and crowns of Renaissance Italy.

And yet, the ancients also knew this truth. The Greeks told of Odysseus, who triumphed not by noble honesty but by cunning guile. His lies and stratagems brought victory at Troy, while Achilles—though noble in strength—perished in the glory of battle. So too Rome rose not by moral purity but by conquest, treaties, and often treachery. In these stories, we see again that power does not bow to ethics, but moves according to its own iron logic.

Therefore, O children of tomorrow, let this teaching be a lantern: do not be naïve in the games of power. If you would live by ethics, do so with courage, but know that others will not. If you would seek power, understand that it is a realm where morality is often discarded like a broken shield. And if you would be truly wise, learn to walk between the two—keeping your soul unstained, yet never blind to the forces that rule the world. For to confuse ethics with power is folly, but to understand both is the beginning of mastery.