--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You should forgive your enemies and if…" description: "\"You should forgive your enemies and if you haven't any, just forgive a few of your friends.\" — Anonymous" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/anonymous-1_enemy_you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-y_1684826.jpg" --- # You should forgive your enemies and if you haven't any… ![“You should forgive your enemies and if you haven't any, just forgive a few of your friends.” quote by Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/anonymous-1_enemy_you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-y_1684826.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/anonymous-1_enemy_you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-y_1684826.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/anonymous-1_enemy_you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-y_1684826.jpg) > “You should forgive your enemies and if you haven't any, just forgive a few of your friends.” [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. Forgiveness should extend to enemies and, if none, to friends, promoting universal compassion. **In simple terms:** Forgive all, even friends. Key Takeaway Practice universal forgiveness. Themes forgiveness compassion relationships Mood reflective hopeful Type advice ethical When to use this quote - conflicts - personal grievances - friendships Key Concepts Ethics psychology Questions to Reflect On - Who do you need to forgive? - Can forgiveness improve your relationships? A Different Perspective Forgiving friends can feel betrayal. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive/) [Forgive Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-enemies/) [Forgive Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-friends-406528/) [Forgive your enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgive-your-enemies/) [Forgiveness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiveness/) [Forgiving](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiving/) [Havens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/havens/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Just Forgive](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/just-forgive-599776/) [Should](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/should/) ## Related quotes > [it's easier to forgive your enemies than to forgive your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/it-s-easier-to-forgive-your-enemies-than-to-forgive-your-friends/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-read-that-we-ought-to-forgive-our-enemies-but-we-do-not-read-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...forgive your enemies...it messes with their heads.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-martin/forgive-your-enemies-it-messes-with-their-heads/) [Charles Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-martin/) > [Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/forgive-your-enemies-but-never-forget-their-names/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always forgive your enemies..nothing annoys them more then that](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-forgive-your-enemies-nothing-annoys-them-more-then-that/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-forgive-your-enemies-but-never-forget-their-names/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always forgive your enemies - nothing annoys them so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/always-forgive-your-enemies-nothing-annoys-them-so-much/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always forgive your enemies; nothing annoys them more.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/young-siddiq-prince/always-forgive-your-enemies-nothing-annoys-them-more/) [Young Siddiq Prince](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/young-siddiq-prince/) > [Forgive your enemies, but do not forget their names](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aly-johnson/forgive-your-enemies-but-do-not-forget-their-names/) [Aly Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aly-johnson/) > [We read that we ought to forgive our enemies; but we do not read that we ought to forgive our friends. -Cosimo de' Medici,1454](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cosimo-de-medici/we-read-that-we-ought-to-forgive-our-enemies-but-we-do-not-read-that-2/) [Cosimo De' Medici](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cosimo-de-medici/) > [“You shall read (saith he) that we are commanded to forgive our enemies; but you never read, that we are commanded to forgive our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/you-shall-read-saith-he-that-we-are-commanded-to-forgive-our-enemies/) [Francis Bacon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-bacon/) > [Remember to always forgive your enemies - Nothing will annoy them more then this!… Another random thought! LOL](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khloe-kardashian/remember-to-always-forgive-your-enemies-nothing-will-annoy-them-more/) [Khloe Kardashian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khloe-kardashian/) > [“Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names. JOHN F. KENNEDY”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francine-rivers/forgive-your-enemies-but-never-forget-their-names-john-f-kennedy/) [Francine Rivers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francine-rivers/) > [It's said in Hollywood that you should always forgive your enemies - because you never know when you'll have to work with them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lana-turner/it-s-said-in-hollywood-that-you-should-always-forgive-your-enemies/) [Lana Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lana-turner/) > [John F. Kennedy says: 'Forgive your enemies, but never forget their names.' I suggest that forgive your enemies and forget their names too! Don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/john-f-kennedy-says-forgive-your-enemies-but-never-forget-their-names/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "You should forgive your enemies and if you haven't any, just forgive a few of your friends.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Anonymous" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-you-haven-t-any-just-forgive-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-you-haven-t-any-just-forgive-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/anonymous-1_enemy_you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-y_1684826.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/anonymous-1_enemy_you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-y_1684826.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d05/anonymous-1_enemy_you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-y_1684826.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You should forgive your enemies and if you haven't any, just forgive a few of your friends.” — 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": "You should forgive your enemies and...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-you-haven-t-any-just-forgive-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-should-forgive-your-enemies-and-if-you-haven-t-any-just-forgive-a/#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 } } ] } ```