Marcus Aurelius Anderson breaks down the philosophy of Niccolò Machiavelli, focusing on fortuna versus virtue, using excerpts from his upcoming book, Acta Non Verba: Transforming Adversity into Victory (out 10/13/2026). He explores how Machiavelli's concepts of luck and personal will apply to leadership, adversity, and resilience today, closing with reflective "Acta Non Verba" questions for listeners.

EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
1:31 – Marcus explains Machiavelli's core idea that fortuna (luck) and virtue (bravery, power, will) are the two forces that determine a prince's fate.
3:51 – A key quote from The Prince, Ch. 25: fortune controls only half of our actions; the rest is up to us.
5:54 – Machiavelli's warning that no principality is secure without its own army, since mercenaries can't be trusted in battle.
8:07 – Marcus reframes adversity as a gift from fortuna, meant to test princes (and us) on the path to greatness.

Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to www.marcusaureliusanderson.com. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

Marcus Aurelius Anderson breaks down the philosophy of Niccol&ograve; Machiavelli, focusing on fortuna versus virtue, using excerpts from his upcoming book, Acta Non Verba: Transforming Adversity into Victory (out 10/13/2026). He explores how Machiavelli's concepts of luck and personal will apply to leadership, adversity, and resilience today, closing with reflective "Acta Non Verba" questions for listeners.
EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS:
<ul>
<li>1:31 &ndash; Marcus explains Machiavelli's core idea that fortuna (luck) and virtue (bravery, power, will) are the two forces that determine a prince's fate.</li>
<li>3:51 &ndash; A key quote from The Prince, Ch. 25: fortune controls only half of our actions; the rest is up to us.</li>
<li>5:54 &ndash; Machiavelli's warning that no principality is secure without its own army, since mercenaries can't be trusted in battle.</li>
<li>8:07 &ndash; Marcus reframes adversity as a gift from fortuna, meant to test princes (and us) on the path to greatness.</li>
</ul>
Learn more about the gift of Adversity and my mission to help my fellow humans create a better world by heading to <a href="http://www.marcusaureliusanderson.com/">www.marcusaureliusanderson.com</a>. There you can take action by joining my ANV inner circle to get exclusive content and information.

ACTA NON VERBA is a raw and real podcast with hard hitting interviews featuring people that live by the Ethos of “Actions, not words.”

Join TEDx speaker, Bestselling Author, Veteran, and Leadership & Mindset Coach Marcus Aurelius Anderson as he goes inside the minds and experiences of the world’s most successful Warriors, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Experts to give you the Philosophies, Concepts, Tactics, and Strategies they use to turn Adversity into Victory and live an EXTRAORDINARY life based on ACTIONS not words.

ACTA NON VERBA is a raw and real podcast with hard hitting interviews featuring people that live by the Ethos of &ldquo;Actions, not words.&rdquo;
Join TEDx speaker, Bestselling Author, Veteran, and Leadership &amp; Mindset Coach Marcus Aurelius Anderson as he goes inside the minds and experiences of the world&rsquo;s most successful Warriors, Leaders, Entrepreneurs, and Experts to give you the Philosophies, Concepts, Tactics, and Strategies they use to turn Adversity into Victory and live an EXTRAORDINARY life based on ACTIONS not words.