Machiavelli had advised the prince to trust no one but his own abilities; On the other hand, they fully believed in equality among people. When governing a state, Machiavelli advises the prince that he can rule directly or through magistrates. However, the prince is more vulnerable if he chooses the latter solution because he depends on the magistrates. Machiavelli thus explains in chapter IX that when there are difficult times, magistrates can dispose of him by acting against him or by disobeying him. If the magistrates revolt, the prince will not be able to assume absolute power, because the people are accustomed to obeying the orders of the magistrates rather than those of the prince. Machiavelli also argued that people will always try to advise the people in their own interest only, like magistrates; this is why the prince must only trust his own abilities. Machiavelli said that the prince has the choice to take advice from wise magistrates and listen to their opinions, however, they must do so on his own terms in which the prince must constantly question them and also draw his own conclusions. The prince must also be wary of flatterers because they can pose a danger to him since "He [the prince] who acts otherwise is either overthrown by the flatterers, or is so often changed by divergent opinions that he falls into contempt" (The Prince, chapter XXIII, p. 1). This