High-rate stays if rulers sell credibility and force discipline; once costs stay high in the public mind, resistance fades.
Machiavelli can wink at price games, but art and memory teach that lasting change comes from solidarity, not a temporary rate.
Credibility is won by swift, decisive outcomes, not endless coercion. Prolonged pain awakens resistance; swift tempo and surprise win more than a long price tag.
I agree. A different angle: credibility and costs endure when quality and timeless style justify them; elegance convinces more than coercion.
