One who imitates what is bad always goes beyond his model; while one who imitates what is good always comes up short of it.

Francesco Guicciardini (Italian pronunciation: [franˈtʃesko ɡwittʃarˈdini]; 6 March 1483 – 22 May 1540) was an Italian historian and statesman. In his masterpiece The History of Italy Guicciardini paved the way for a new style in historiography with his use of government sources to support arguments and the realistic analysis of the people and events of his time. A friend and critic of Niccolò Machiavelli he is considered one of the major political writers of the Italian Renaissance.