--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and…" description: "\"Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him, is his own enemy\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32d/anonymous-1_compassion_whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-doe_1055195.jpg" --- # Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him… ![“Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him, is his own enemy” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32d/anonymous-1_compassion_whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-doe_1055195.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32d/anonymous-1_compassion_whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-doe_1055195.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32d/anonymous-1_compassion_whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-doe_1055195.jpg) > “Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him, is his own enemy” [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. Holding power over an opponent without killing them creates inner conflict and self‑enemy. **In simple terms:** Power without action breeds self‑conflict. Key Takeaway Avoid becoming your own adversary. Themes power conflict self‑control Mood reflective serious Type advisory philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - leadership - negotiations Key Concepts psychology ethics self‑sabotage Questions to Reflect On - Do you hold grudges that harm yourself? - How can you release power without becoming hostile? A Different Perspective It may be necessary to act decisively to resolve tension. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Compassion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Foe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foe/) [Mercy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mercy/) ## Related quotes > [“It’s the only way to know you’re really in love, when you ask the question would it be harder to watch him die, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-carlino/it-s-the-only-way-to-know-you-re-really-in-love-when-you-ask-the/) [Renee Carlino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-carlino/) > [To Kill An Enemy You Required A Sword Or A Gun But To Kill A Loved One Just Being Silent Is Enough Remember !!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-kill-an-enemy-you-required-a-sword-or-a-gun-but-to-kill-a-loved/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“unless you're the lead dog the view never changes... mercy out does justice every time: always find your way back home/”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-mitchley/unless-you-re-the-lead-dog-the-view-never-changes-mercy-out-does/) Bob Mitchley > [One of the most noble things you can do is kill the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-zembiec/one-of-the-most-noble-things-you-can-do-is-kill-the-enemy/) Douglas A. Zembiec > [If in order to kill the enemy you have to kill an innocent, don't take the shot. Don't create more enemies than you take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-mattis/if-in-order-to-kill-the-enemy-you-have-to-kill-an-innocent-don-t-take/) [James Mattis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-mattis/) > [“Better to save a citizen than to kill an enemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/better-to-save-a-citizen-than-to-kill-an-enemy/) [samuel johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Kill every enemy twice, Wilky said. Better than gettin' shot by a soldier pretending to be dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-bruchac/kill-every-enemy-twice-wilky-said-better-than-gettin-shot-by-a/) [Joseph Bruchac](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-bruchac/) > [“Why is it considered so glorious to kill an enemy, when it is not considered contemptible to create one?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-e-g-nydam/why-is-it-considered-so-glorious-to-kill-an-enemy-when-it-is-not/) Anne E.G. Nydam > [ From Day One, I've told \[my troops\] that killing is not wrong if it's for a purpose, if it's to keep your nation free… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-a-zembiec/from-day-one-i-ve-told-my-troops-that-killing-is-not-wrong-if-it-s/) Douglas A. Zembiec > [I don't have to psych myself up, or do something special mentally - I look through the scope, get my target in the cross…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kyle/i-don-t-have-to-psych-myself-up-or-do-something-special-mentally-i/) [Chris Kyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kyle/) > [To kill your enemy is not a victory; but to make your enemy your friend that is a victory!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/to-kill-your-enemy-is-not-a-victory-but-to-make-your-enemy-your/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [To kill a enemy, you make them your friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jade-williams/to-kill-a-enemy-you-make-them-your-friend/) [Jade Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jade-williams/) > [Resentment is like drinking poison and waiting for it to kill your enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/senoraroy/resentment-is-like-drinking-poison-and-waiting-for-it-to-kill-your/) Senoraroy > [The tree can teach you forbearance and tolerance. It offers shade to all, irrespective of age, sex or religion, nationality or status. It helps…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-tree-can-teach-you-forbearance-and-tolerance-it-offers-shade-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Under the Mountain dark and tall The King has come unto his hall! His foe is dead, the Worm of Dread, And ever so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/under-the-mountain-dark-and-tall-the-king-has-come-unto-his-hall-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## 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 Compassion quotes > [Half the misery of human life might be extinguished if men would alleviate the general curse they lie under by mutual offices of compassion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/half-the-misery-of-human-life-might-be-extinguished-if-men-would/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [“I fight with love and kindness as my weapons and compassion as my defense.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/debasish-mridha/i-fight-with-love-and-kindness-as-my-weapons-and-compassion-as-my/) [Debasish Mridha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/debasish-mridha/) > [I really enjoy making people laugh; I've discovered that's a great technique. That's as powerful as stirring their sorrow, stirring their compassion, because that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/i-really-enjoy-making-people-laugh-i-ve-discovered-that-s-a-great/) [Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/) > [“If you refuse to use physical force, then you will be at the mercy of your oppressor!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/segun-magbagbeola/if-you-refuse-to-use-physical-force-then-you-will-be-at-the-mercy-of/) Segun Magbagbeola > [For some reason, we are truly convinced that if we criticize ourselves, the criticism will lead to change. If we are harsh, we believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geneen-roth/for-some-reason-we-are-truly-convinced-that-if-we-criticize-ourselves/) [Geneen Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geneen-roth/) > [I could not have slept tonight if I had left that helpless little creature to perish on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-could-not-have-slept-tonight-if-i-had-left-that-helpless-little/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [We are puzzled and bewildered whenever we see suffering in this world because we have become accustomed to the mercy and the long-suffering of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/r-c-sproul/we-are-puzzled-and-bewildered-whenever-we-see-suffering-in-this-world/) [R. C. Sproul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/r-c-sproul/) > [“Helpers in every corner, helpers in every hood. That's how we'll make the move, to reform from rude.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/helpers-in-every-corner-helpers-in-every-hood-that-s-how-we-ll-make/) [Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/) > [There are a number of qualities which are important for mental peace, but from the little experience I have, I believe that one of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/there-are-a-number-of-qualities-which-are-important-for-mental-peace/) [Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/) > [May the gods have mercy on whoever pisses them off, because Zarek and Jericho will have none for them. (Madoc) You’d better be glad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/may-the-gods-have-mercy-on-whoever-pisses-them-off-because-zarek-and/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [When you need empathy, you cannot give empathy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marshall-b-rosenberg/when-you-need-empathy-you-cannot-give-empathy/) [Marshall B. Rosenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marshall-b-rosenberg/) > [But victimhood was seductive, a release from responsibility and caring. Fear would be transmuted into weary resignation; failure would no longer generate guilt but,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dean-koontz/but-victimhood-was-seductive-a-release-from-responsibility-and-caring/) [Dean Koontz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dean-koontz/) > [“No one has any right to tell you that the way you perceive yourself is wrong. Because by doing so, they also discourage the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kamand-kojouri/no-one-has-any-right-to-tell-you-that-the-way-you-perceive-yourself/) [Kamand Kojouri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kamand-kojouri/) > [“la ilaha ilallah muhammadun rasulullah, alaihi salatullah wa alihi wal ahibba "shine your mercy like the sun, and be gracious as the earth let…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/talib-al-habib/la-ilaha-ilallah-muhammadun-rasulullah-alaihi-salatullah-wa-alihi-wal/) Talib al Habib > [The love for all living creatures is the most noble attribute of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-darwin/the-love-for-all-living-creatures-is-the-most-noble-attribute-of-man/) [Charles Darwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-darwin/) [Browse all 9,892 Compassion quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/compassion/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him, is his own enemy", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-does-not-kill-him-is-his-own/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Compassion" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-does-not-kill-him-is-his-own/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32d/anonymous-1_compassion_whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-doe_1055195.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32d/anonymous-1_compassion_whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-doe_1055195.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/32d/anonymous-1_compassion_whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-doe_1055195.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Whoever has his foe at his mercy, and does not kill him, is his own enemy” — 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": "Whoever has his foe at his...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-does-not-kill-him-is-his-own/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/whoever-has-his-foe-at-his-mercy-and-does-not-kill-him-is-his-own/#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 } } ] } ```