Although I believe that his doctrine in "The Prince" is immoral, I find it important to understand Machiavelli's circumstances before reading his work and more importantly before judging the moral value of his ideas. It is important to understand the goal he has had in mind for writing "The Prince" and the spirit of the political field of his time.
Aside from moral evaluations, I find him an amazing writer. If not because "The Prince" is found the single most important book ever written on Politics, read it because it in fun, well written and greatly amusing.
The lines I have selected from this book are not by any means a proper representative of the spirit of the book, nor that of Machiavelli's views on politics.
"Principality is caused either by the people or by the great, according to which of these sides has the opportunity for it ... one cannot satisfy the great with decency and without injury to others, but one can satisfy the people; for the end of the people is more decent than that of the great, since the great want to oppress and the people want not to be oppressed."
Machiavelli, "The Prince"
Chapter 9: Of the Civil Principality