---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Men will not receive the truth from their…"
description: "\"Men will not receive the truth from their enemies, and it is seldom offered to them by their friends.\" — Alexis de Tocqueville"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_enemy_men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-thei_1017543.png"
---

#  Men will not receive the truth from their enemies, and it…

![“Men will not receive the truth from their enemies, and it is seldom offered to them by their friends.” quote by Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_enemy_men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-thei_1017543.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_enemy_men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-thei_1017543.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_enemy_men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-thei_1017543.png)

> “Men will not receive the truth from their enemies, and it is seldom offered to them by their friends.”

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

People rarely accept truth from foes and often ignore it from friends, indicating bias in source credibility.

**In simple terms:** Truth ignored from enemies and friends.

Key Takeaway

Question source bias.

Themes

bias truth trust politics

Mood

analytical critical

Type

political philosophical

When to use this quote

- political discourse
- media consumption
- personal relationships

Key Concepts

cognitive bias social psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you evaluate truth sources?
- What influences trust in information?

A Different Perspective

May not apply to all cultures.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Enemies Seldom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-seldom-2247931/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Men Receive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-receive-2247934/) [Receive Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/receive-truth-579589/) [Seldom Offered](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seldom-offered-2247932/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) [Truth Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth-enemies-2247933/)

## Related quotes

> [“Men will not accept truth at the hands of their enemies, and truth is seldom offered to them by their friends”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/men-will-not-accept-truth-at-the-hands-of-their-enemies-and-truth-is/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [When men receive favours from someone they expected to do them ill, they are under a greater obligation to their benefactor...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/when-men-receive-favours-from-someone-they-expected-to-do-them-ill/)

[Niccolo Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/)

> [It is always safe to learn, even from our enemies; seldom safe to venture to instruct, even our friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/it-is-always-safe-to-learn-even-from-our-enemies-seldom-safe-to/)

[Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/)

> [“Unfortunately, wisdom and happiness are old enemies, and where one can be found, the other seldom lingers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-j-colt/unfortunately-wisdom-and-happiness-are-old-enemies-and-where-one-can/)

[K.J. Colt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-j-colt/)

> [Those who tell you the truth should not be your enemies, they should be one of your closest friends. Because we often forget how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kemar-hinds/those-who-tell-you-the-truth-should-not-be-your-enemies-they-should/)

[Kemar Hinds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kemar-hinds/)

> [WELCOME TO FACEBOOK; The place where people add you as a friend &amp; walk past you in the street. Where relationships are perfect, affairs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/welcome-to-facebook-the-place-where-people-add-you-as-a-friend-walk/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“When the pupil is ready to receive the truth, then will this little book come to him, or her. Such is The Law. ...The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/three-initiates/when-the-pupil-is-ready-to-receive-the-truth-then-will-this-little/)

[Three Initiates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/three-initiates/)

> [In order to be truthful we must do more than speak the truth. We must also hear truth, receive truth, search for truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-order-to-be-truthful-we-must-do-more-than-speak-the-truth-we-must-2/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [He that is conceited of his Wisdom, is readier to impose Error, than to receive Truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-whichcote/he-that-is-conceited-of-his-wisdom-is-readier-to-impose-error-than-to/)

[Benjamin Whichcote](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-whichcote/)

> [There are very few human beings who receive the truth, complete and staggering, by instant illumination. Most of them acquire it fragment by fragment,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anais-nin/there-are-very-few-human-beings-who-receive-the-truth-complete-and/)

[Anais Nin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anais-nin/)

> [In order to be truthful We must do more than speak the truth. We must also hear truth. We must also receive truth. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-leunig/in-order-to-be-truthful-we-must-do-more-than-speak-the-truth-we-must/)

[Michael Leunig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-leunig/)

> [“Jesus never leaves you nor forsakes you. Receive that truth down deep into your bones. His grace is sufficient, and you can trust that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guideposts-books/jesus-never-leaves-you-nor-forsakes-you-receive-that-truth-down-deep/)

[Guideposts Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guideposts-books/)

> [There's no polite way of telling the truth. So, I have to keep my heart and ears strong to to receive the truth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-mark/there-s-no-polite-way-of-telling-the-truth-so-i-have-to-keep-my-heart/)

[Terry Mark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-mark/)

> [A mind does not receive truth as a chest receives jewels that are put into it, but as the stomach takes up food into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/a-mind-does-not-receive-truth-as-a-chest-receives-jewels-that-are-put/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [One of the grand fundamental principles of Mormonism is to receive truth, let it come from whence it may.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-smith-jr/one-of-the-grand-fundamental-principles-of-mormonism-is-to-receive/)

[Joseph Smith, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-smith-jr/)

## More by Alexis de Tocqueville

> [All around you everything is on the move,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/all-around-you-everything-is-on-the-move/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [I have no hesitation in saying that although the American woman never leaves her domestic sphere and is in some respects very dependent within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-have-no-hesitation-in-saying-that-although-the-american-woman-never/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [No state of society or laws can render men so much alike but that education, fortune, and tastes will interpose some differences between them;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/no-state-of-society-or-laws-can-render-men-so-much-alike-but-that/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [I do not know if the people of the United States would vote for superior men if they ran for office, but there can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-do-not-know-if-the-people-of-the-united-states-would-vote-for/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [What good does it do me, after all, if an ever-watchful authority keeps an eye out to ensure that my pleasures will be tranquil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/what-good-does-it-do-me-after-all-if-an-ever-watchful-authority-keeps/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [The greatness of America lies not in being more enlightened than any other nation, but rather in her ability to repair her faults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-greatness-of-america-lies-not-in-being-more-enlightened-than-any/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [“I am unacquainted with His designs, but I shall not cease to believe in them because I cannot fathom them, and I had rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-am-unacquainted-with-his-designs-but-i-shall-not-cease-to-believe/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [I questioned the faithful of all communions; I particularly sought the society of clergymen, who are the depositories of the various creeds and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/i-questioned-the-faithful-of-all-communions-i-particularly-sought-the/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Christianity is the companion of liberty in all its conflicts, the cradle of its infancy, and the divine source of its claims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/christianity-is-the-companion-of-liberty-in-all-its-conflicts-the/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [The more alike men are, the weaker each feels in the face of all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/the-more-alike-men-are-the-weaker-each-feels-in-the-face-of-all/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [“There is a twofold liberty, natural (I mean as our nature is now corrupt) and civil or federal. The first is common to man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/there-is-a-twofold-liberty-natural-i-mean-as-our-nature-is-now/)

[Alexis De Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Upon my arrival in the United States the religious aspect of the country was the first thing that struck my attention; and the longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/upon-my-arrival-in-the-united-states-the-religious-aspect-of-the/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [Despotism often presents itself as the repairer of all the ills suffered, the support of just rights, defender of the oppressed, and founder of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-often-presents-itself-as-the-repairer-of-all-the-ills/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [On this waterlogged landscape…are scattered palaces and hovels…It is here that the human spirit becomes perfect, and at the same time brutalised, that civilisation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/on-this-waterlogged-landscape-are-scattered-palaces-and-hovels-it-is/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

> [“Despotism may govern without faith, but liberty cannot.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/despotism-may-govern-without-faith-but-liberty-cannot/)

[Alexis de Tocqueville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

[Explore all 438 Alexis de Tocqueville quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/)

## More Enemy quotes

> [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

> [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/)

[Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/)

> [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/)

[Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/)

> [Fear is a man's worst enemy, but love is a man's most powerful weapon against anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-a-man-s-worst-enemy-but-love-is-a-man-s-most-powerful-weapon/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/)

[Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/)

> [“Never let your Enemies become your Advocates.” by A. K. Hasan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-hasan/never-let-your-enemies-become-your-advocates-by-a-k-hasan/)

[A.K. Hasan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-k-hasan/)

> [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/)

[Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/)

> [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/)

[Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/)

> [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power &amp; movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [I don't see why we and the Chinese should have to be enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/indira-gandhi/i-don-t-see-why-we-and-the-chinese-should-have-to-be-enemies/)

[Indira Gandhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/indira-gandhi/)

> [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/)

[Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/)

> [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/)

[Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/)

> [In this business, you find the enemy, then go after and destroy him. Everything else is rubbish!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/in-this-business-you-find-the-enemy-then-go-after-and-destroy-him/)

[Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/)

> [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/)

[Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/)

[Browse all 7,981 Enemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Men will not receive the truth from their enemies, and it is seldom offered to them by their friends.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Alexis de Tocqueville"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-their-enemies-and-it-is-seldom/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enemy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-their-enemies-and-it-is-seldom/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_enemy_men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-thei_1017543.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_enemy_men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-thei_1017543.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/316/alexis-de-tocqueville-625_enemy_men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-thei_1017543.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Men will not receive the truth from their enemies, and it is seldom offered to them by their friends.” — Alexis de Tocqueville",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Alexis de Tocqueville",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexis-de-tocqueville/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Men will not receive the truth...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-their-enemies-and-it-is-seldom/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexis-de-tocqueville/men-will-not-receive-the-truth-from-their-enemies-and-it-is-seldom/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
