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PSIR Optional PYQ Solutions · Model answer

“Fortune favours the brave.” In the light of this statement, discuss Machiavelli’s concepts of ‘virtue’ and ‘fortune’.

  • UPSC 2026
  • 15 marks
  • Western Political Thought

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The proverb is Roman — fortes fortuna adiuvat in Terence's Phormio, echoed by Pliny the Elder as he sailed towards Vesuvius in 79 CE and by Virgil's audentes fortuna iuvat (Aeneid X.284). Niccolò Machiavelli gives it its most famous political form in Chapter XXV of The Prince (written 1513). Yet his pairing of virtù and…

You are reading the opening of the model answer. The full answer is part of the PSIR Optional PYQ Solutions.

What the full answer covers

  • Fortuna: The Share of Chance
  • Virtù: The Share of Skill
  • How Far Does Fortune Favour the Brave?
  • A Contemporary Illustration
  • Conclusion
PSIR Optional PYQ Solutions

PSIR Optional PYQ Solutions

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