--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: They say to keep your friends close and…" description: "\"They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer but the problem nowadays is you can't tell them apart.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_bad-friends_they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and_1847975.jpg" --- # They say to keep your friends close and your enemies… ![“They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer but the problem nowadays is you can't tell them apart.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_bad-friends_they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and_1847975.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_bad-friends_they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and_1847975.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_bad-friends_they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and_1847975.jpg) > “They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer but the problem nowadays is you can't tell them apart.” [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. People often struggle to distinguish allies from rivals, especially when social cues blur. **In simple terms:** Hard to tell friends from foes. Key Takeaway Stay vigilant and assess actions over labels. Themes trust deception social dynamics Mood skeptical cautious Type philosophical advice When to use this quote - politics - corporate environments - online communities - personal relationships Key Concepts psychology risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What criteria help you evaluate someone's true intentions? - When is it okay to trust without proof? A Different Perspective Over‑cautiousness can erode genuine connections. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bad friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-friends/) [Broken friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/broken-friendship/) [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 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/) > [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/) > [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/) > [“It’s true what they say—keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Only, they forgot to add: Don’t keep your enemies so close that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lili-st-germain/it-s-true-what-they-say-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies/) [Lili St. Germain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lili-st-germain/) > [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 and your enemies closer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I was told to keep my friends close and my enemies closer, but nowadays I can't tell the difference between the two.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-told-to-keep-my-friends-close-and-my-enemies-closer-but/) [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/) > [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, 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 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 your friends close, your enemies even closer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mrthrill/keep-your-friends-close-your-enemies-even-closer/) Mrthrill > [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/) > [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, 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 Bad friends quotes > [People think being alone makes you LONELY, But I don't think thats true. Being surrounded by wrong people is the loneliest thing in World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/people-think-being-alone-makes-you-lonely-but-i-don-t-think-thats/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Bad friendship is like incurable decease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bad-friendship-is-like-incurable-decease/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Simple sorry will do in a friendship that is true!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-vinz/simple-sorry-will-do-in-a-friendship-that-is-true/) Mc Vinz > [“Maybe there aren't any such things as good friends or bad friends - maybe there are just friends, people who stand by you when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/maybe-there-aren-t-any-such-things-as-good-friends-or-bad-friends/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [When your best friend turns out to be your enemy after all those years you know you were the better friend after finding out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chey/when-your-best-friend-turns-out-to-be-your-enemy-after-all-those/) Chey > [Friends that stuck around for everything and not just when they want too. Yeah I Don't actually think I have even one of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kiara-leigh/friends-that-stuck-around-for-everything-and-not-just-when-they-want/) [Kiara Leigh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kiara-leigh/) > [Whenever a friend suceeds, a little something in me dies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/whenever-a-friend-suceeds-a-little-something-in-me-dies/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Bad friends hit you in the bad, good friends hit you in the face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/bad-friends-hit-you-in-the-bad-good-friends-hit-you-in-the-face/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Good friendship, in Buddhism, means considerably more than associating with people that one finds amenable and who share one's interests. It means in effect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhikkhu-bodhi/good-friendship-in-buddhism-means-considerably-more-than-associating/) [Bhikkhu Bodhi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhikkhu-bodhi/) > [Some people are not worth changing.they stay to there true colors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luke-holmes/some-people-are-not-worth-changing-they-stay-to-there-true-colors/) Luke Holmes > [“Friendship is like an investment; the best type yields the best profit for you! It's not just about making friends; it's about making right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/friendship-is-like-an-investment-the-best-type-yields-the-best-profit/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [Theres hell in hello, good in goodbye, lie in believe, over in lover, end in friend, ex in next, and if in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/theres-hell-in-hello-good-in-goodbye-lie-in-believe-over-in-lover-end/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I can't say that I'm a good person coz there is always someone who will stand to prove that I'm not!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mc-vinzed/i-can-t-say-that-i-m-a-good-person-coz-there-is-always-someone-who/) Mc Vinzed > [A banker is a person who gives you an umbrella when it's sun and who takes it away when it starts raining.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fjlobato/a-banker-is-a-person-who-gives-you-an-umbrella-when-it-s-sun-and-who/) FJLobato > [One fake friend can do more harm than five enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anmol-andore/one-fake-friend-can-do-more-harm-than-five-enemies/) [Anmol Andore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anmol-andore/) [Browse all 361 Bad friends quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bad-friends/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer but the problem nowadays is you can't tell them apart.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-but-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Bad friends" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-but-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_bad-friends_they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and_1847975.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_bad-friends_they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and_1847975.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ae5/anonymous-1_bad-friends_they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and_1847975.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“They say to keep your friends close and your enemies closer but the problem nowadays is you can't tell them…” — 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": "They say to keep your friends...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-but-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/they-say-to-keep-your-friends-close-and-your-enemies-closer-but-the/#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 } } ] } ```