--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was told to keep my friends close and…" description: "\"I was told to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, but nowadays I can't tell the difference between the two.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/609/anonymous-1_enemies_i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and_1947700.jpg" --- # I was told to keep my friends close and my enemies closer… ![“I was told to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, but nowadays I can't tell the difference between the two.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/609/anonymous-1_enemies_i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and_1947700.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/609/anonymous-1_enemies_i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and_1947700.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/609/anonymous-1_enemies_i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and_1947700.jpg) > “I was told to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, but nowadays I can't tell the difference between the two.” [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker feels unable to distinguish friends from enemies, reflecting confusion in relationships. **In simple terms:** Can't tell friends from enemies. Key Takeaway Clarify boundaries. Themes trust confusion relationships Mood uncertain reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - workplace - political alliances Key Concepts social dynamics perception Questions to Reflect On - How do you identify true allies? - What signs reveal hidden motives? A Different Perspective Friends and enemies can share traits, blurring lines. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Fake friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fake-friends/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) ## Related quotes > [They say: keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The problem is, nowadays you can't tell them apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/they-say-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-the-problem/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [Keep your friends close and your enemies closer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer but the problem nowadays is you can't tell them apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-but-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer. The problem today is, you can never tell them apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-the-problem-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-friends-close-but-your-enemies-closer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [They say keep your friends close and your enemies closer. the problem is you cant tell the difference between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-the-problem-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. As”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-patterson/keep-your-friends-close-but-your-enemies-closer-as/) [James Patterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-patterson/) > [Keep friends close but keep enemies closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-addams/keep-friends-close-but-keep-enemies-closer/) [Jane Addams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-addams/) > [Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, sometimes is those you love that hurts you the most.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaze-olamiday/keep-your-friends-close-your-enemies-closer-sometimes-is-those-you/) [Blaze Olamiday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaze-olamiday/) > [Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. So where exactly do you keep someone whom you thought was your friend?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-moores/keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-so-where-exactly-do/) [Sarah Moores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-moores/) > [Keep their friends close and their enemies closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/keep-their-friends-close-and-their-enemies-closer/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [They say keep your friends close and keep your enemies closer. But the problem nowadays is, you cant even tell them apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nishan-panwar/they-say-keep-your-friends-close-and-keep-your-enemies-closer-but-the/) [Nishan Panwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nishan-panwar/) > [Keep your friends close, your enemies even closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrthrill/keep-your-friends-close-your-enemies-even-closer/) Mrthrill > [Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Jace: I thought it was keep your friends close so that they can drive you at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shar-rae/keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-jace-i-thought-it-was/) [Shar-rae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shar-rae/) > [“Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and the junk food as far away as possble.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-scott-dixon/keep-your-friends-close-your-enemies-closer-and-the-junk-food-as-far/) Krista Scott-Dixon ## More by Anonymous > [And a tear rolled down her cheek, as she said goodbye; because she's walking away, and she's never looking back](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/and-a-tear-rolled-down-her-cheek-as-she-said-goodbye-because-she-s/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Life is full of change. That's how we learn and grow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/life-is-full-of-change-that-s-how-we-learn-and-grow/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You'll seldom experience regret for anything that you've done. It is what you haven't done that will torment you. The message, therefore, is clear.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-ll-seldom-experience-regret-for-anything-that-you-ve-done-it-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Scrabble - The game is available in Braille. That’s a nice fact. This makes me feel better about humanity for some reason. I can’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/scrabble-the-game-is-available-in-braille-that-s-a-nice-fact-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everyone needs someone to love, and I choose you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everyone-needs-someone-to-love-and-i-choose-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“THIS tale of my sore-troubled life I write,    To thank the God of nature, who conveyed    My soul to me, and with such care…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/this-tale-of-my-sore-troubled-life-i-write-to-thank-the-god-of-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Put on my J's and dance the whole night away Im naughty by nature like Im hip-hop hooray With my hands in the sky,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/put-on-my-j-s-and-dance-the-whole-night-away-im-naughty-by-nature/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Me.. I have been through a lot, but I still manage to have a smile on my face. Im not worried about the past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/me-i-have-been-through-a-lot-but-i-still-manage-to-have-a-smile-on-my/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Distance is a test of love. many will fail for those who can't withstand it, but for those who can, theres only one answer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distance-is-a-test-of-love-many-will-fail-for-those-who-can-t/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Im sorry I ever tried...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/im-sorry-i-ever-tried/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Being betrayed by the one you love is the worst feeling in the world...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-betrayed-by-the-one-you-love-is-the-worst-feeling-in-the-world/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Let children support their parents or be imprisoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/let-children-support-their-parents-or-be-imprisoned/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The only person I've ever purposely caused pain here is myself...By simply sharing, caring too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-only-person-i-ve-ever-purposely-caused-pain-here-is-myself-by/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Start a business, not a startup”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/start-a-business-not-a-startup/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Explore all 162,899 Anonymous quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More Enemies quotes > [“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 > [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/) > [“If it takes night to make day, pain to know pleasure, black to make white, then doesn't it stand to reason that the depth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snyder/if-it-takes-night-to-make-day-pain-to-know-pleasure-black-to-make/) Michael Snyder > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) > [Your greatest weapon is your enemies mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/your-greatest-weapon-is-your-enemies-mind/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Sometimes even paranoids have enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delmore-schwartz/sometimes-even-paranoids-have-enemies/) [Delmore Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delmore-schwartz/) > [When a husband brings his wife flowers for no reason, there's a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-mcgee/when-a-husband-brings-his-wife-flowers-for-no-reason-there-s-a-reason/) Molly McGee > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Anyone who is portraying Israel as a friend is a servant of Israel. I warn some sides against turning enemies into friends and friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/anyone-who-is-portraying-israel-as-a-friend-is-a-servant-of-israel-i/) [Sayed Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/) > [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [I play basketball hard-nosed and if you're not on my team, during that 48 minutes we're enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-play-basketball-hard-nosed-and-if-you-re-not-on-my-team-during-that/) [Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/) > [“Enemies are people who's story you haven't heard, or who's face you haven't seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-butter/enemies-are-people-who-s-story-you-haven-t-heard-or-who-s-face-you/) Irene Butter > [A sweet thing, perspective - a chance to see your enemies so small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/a-sweet-thing-perspective-a-chance-to-see-your-enemies-so-small/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) [Browse all 1,888 Enemies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was told to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, but nowadays I can't tell the difference between the two.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and-my-enemies-closer-but/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and-my-enemies-closer-but/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/609/anonymous-1_enemies_i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and_1947700.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/609/anonymous-1_enemies_i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and_1947700.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/609/anonymous-1_enemies_i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and_1947700.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was told to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, but nowadays I can't tell the difference between…” — Anonymous", "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": "Anonymous", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was told to keep my...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and-my-enemies-closer-but/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and-my-enemies-closer-but/#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 } } ] } ```