Editorial status
misattributed
The maxim captures a popular reading of Machiavelli but is not the wording of a located sentence in The Prince. A source-aware citation should name the chapter and explain that the slogan is a later summary.
The Prince, chapter 18, discusses judging actions by their final result; this compact maxim is a later summary, not a located sentence in Machiavelli's text.
Earliest traceable appearance in this record: No exact occurrence located in The Prince; the traceable textual basis is the final-result discussion in chapter 18.