"Although the Citizen is, like the fox and the Founder, an image of manhood, it embodies virtu in a fundamentally different way. For both fox and Founder have virtu through their personal, individual autonomy, understood as needing no others, having ties to no others, acting without being acted upon. For the Citizen, by contrast, virtu is sharing in a collective autonomy, a collective freedom and glory, yet without loss of individuality" . .
Machiavelli thus acknowledges the importance of the citizen's role in the functionality of the state. More importantly, he believes that the citizen has an inherent role within the state by virtue of his individuality and uniqueness. "Virtu is systemic or relational. Thus, it not merely is compatible with, but logically requires, interaction in mutuality with others like oneself. It lies not in isolation from or domination in mutuality with others like oneself, but in the shared taking charge of one's objective connections with them" . .
The citizen, in order to create a strong republic, must yield to the inevitable realization that each man by himself is weak. "When individuals realize this, they act together to pursue the shared public good and thereby sustain it. When they perceive as (if they were) isolated individuals, their actions become both selfish and cowardly, for "as soon as each man gets to thinking about his personal danger, he becomes worthless and weak, his virtu vanishes; his actions begin to undermine the community and produce his isolation" .
Two crucial concepts are thus drawn regarding the citizen: that individual diversity is a necessity within the state, and that there must be an interactive dynamic and collaboration between its citizens. Combining these two concepts, the invariable conclusion is that the citizen because of his own uniqueness inevitably becomes embroiled in the internal political conflicts of the state.
