--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Unless people are prepared to declare…" description: "\"Unless people are prepared to declare themselves your enemies you have to hunt around for them.\" — Auberon Waugh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/auberon-waugh-13554_enemies_unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-th_993528.png" --- # Unless people are prepared to declare themselves your… ![“Unless people are prepared to declare themselves your enemies you have to hunt around for them.” quote by Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/auberon-waugh-13554_enemies_unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-th_993528.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/auberon-waugh-13554_enemies_unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-th_993528.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/auberon-waugh-13554_enemies_unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-th_993528.png) > “Unless people are prepared to declare themselves your enemies you have to hunt around for them.” [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. You must label opponents explicitly; otherwise you waste effort searching for hidden foes. **In simple terms:** Naming enemies clarifies conflict. Key Takeaway Identify and name your adversaries directly. Themes conflict clarity strategy Mood cautious analytical Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political campaigns - business competition - personal relationships - legal disputes Key Concepts perception social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Who do you avoid labeling as an enemy? - How does naming conflict change its outcome? A Different Perspective People may resist being labeled, creating new tensions. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Declare Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/declare-enemies-2050246/) [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Enemies Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-hunt-2050245/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Hunts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hunts/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Prepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-prepared-1204897/) [Prepared](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/prepared/) [Unless People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/unless-people-2050247/) ## Related quotes > [Even if we do not always agree on every aspect, nobody should take this as an excuse to declare us as enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/even-if-we-do-not-always-agree-on-every-aspect-nobody-should-take/) [Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/) > [That's healthy and good for us that there are people who are prepared to question what we are doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-mcguinness/that-s-healthy-and-good-for-us-that-there-are-people-who-are-prepared/) [Martin McGuinness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-mcguinness/) > [Luck tends to come to people who are prepared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/luck-tends-to-come-to-people-who-are-prepared/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [“People are prepared for everything except for the fact that beyond the darkness of their blindness there is a great light. They are prepared…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-buechner/people-are-prepared-for-everything-except-for-the-fact-that-beyond/) [Frederick Buechner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-buechner/) > [Habitually creative people are prepared to be lucky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white/habitually-creative-people-are-prepared-to-be-lucky/) [E. B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white/) > [People only see what they are prepared to see.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/people-only-see-what-they-are-prepared-to-see/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [We do not live in a revolutionary time. People are not prepared to contest power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/we-do-not-live-in-a-revolutionary-time-people-are-not-prepared-to/) [Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/) > [I've always admired people who are over-prepared.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/randy-pausch/i-ve-always-admired-people-who-are-over-prepared/) [Randy Pausch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/randy-pausch/) > [“The people are always prepared to shout on the side of power and to make a noise when it costs them nothing”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maurice-druon/the-people-are-always-prepared-to-shout-on-the-side-of-power-and-to/) [Maurice Druon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maurice-druon/) > [You people are not prepared. You are well educated and you look cute, but that's not going to cut it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-cosby/you-people-are-not-prepared-you-are-well-educated-and-you-look-cute/) [Bill Cosby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-cosby/) > [You can see over time whether people are prepared to differ or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hague/you-can-see-over-time-whether-people-are-prepared-to-differ-or-not/) [William Hague](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hague/) > [Generally speaking, if people are prepared to stick their heads above the power pit, like Zinn says, and absorb what's going on around them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thom-yorke/generally-speaking-if-people-are-prepared-to-stick-their-heads-above/) [Thom Yorke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thom-yorke/) > [Let us live as people who are prepared to die, and die as people who are prepared to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-stuart-stewart/let-us-live-as-people-who-are-prepared-to-die-and-die-as-people-who/) [James Stuart Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-stuart-stewart/) > [A marriage is always made up of two people who are prepared to swear that only the other one snores.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/a-marriage-is-always-made-up-of-two-people-who-are-prepared-to-swear/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) > [Nothing will end war unless the people refuse to go to war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-einstein/nothing-will-end-war-unless-the-people-refuse-to-go-to-war/) [Albert Einstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-einstein/) ## More by Auberon Waugh > [Politicians can forgive almost anything in the way of abuse; they can forgive subversion, revolution, being contradicted, exposed as liars, even ridiculed, but they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/politicians-can-forgive-almost-anything-in-the-way-of-abuse-they-can/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [“We had to fill in forms which asked us whether we had ever been convicted of any crime. I hesitated about this. The NCO…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/we-had-to-fill-in-forms-which-asked-us-whether-we-had-ever-been/) [auberon waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [The main objection to killing people as a punishment...is that killing people is wrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/the-main-objection-to-killing-people-as-a-punishment-is-that-killing/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [“People enter politics or the Civil Service out of a desire to exert power and influence events; this, I maintain, is an illness. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/people-enter-politics-or-the-civil-service-out-of-a-desire-to-exert/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [The two sides of industry have traditionally always regarded each other in Britain with the greatest possible loathing, mistrust and contempt. They are both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/the-two-sides-of-industry-have-traditionally-always-regarded-each/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [In their quest for power and self-importance, to compensate for whatever feelings of social inadequacy or sexual insecurity, they (Politicians)are prepared to perpetrate something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/in-their-quest-for-power-and-self-importance-to-compensate-for/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [“My own attitude to the innumerable injustices of life has always been a philosophical one, especially when they have tended to operate in my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/my-own-attitude-to-the-innumerable-injustices-of-life-has-always-been/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [Judicial execution can never cancel or remove the atrocity it seeks to punish; it can only add a second atrocity to the original one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/judicial-execution-can-never-cancel-or-remove-the-atrocity-it-seeks/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [“...the modern State's greatest single instrument of oppression, its murderous tax on drink...accounts for nearly all the miseries besetting our once-merry land; football hooliganism,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/the-modern-state-s-greatest-single-instrument-of-oppression-its/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [There is an old story about the boy at Eton who committed suicide. The other boys in his house were gathered together and asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/there-is-an-old-story-about-the-boy-at-eton-who-committed-suicide-the/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [“Rather to my surprise, I found myself genuinely indignant at the suggestion that murder was to be reintroduced as a means of political advancement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/rather-to-my-surprise-i-found-myself-genuinely-indignant-at-the/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [“It is just a lonely certainty that we are right and everybody else wrong, which makes it worthwhile for us busy-bodies to go on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/it-is-just-a-lonely-certainty-that-we-are-right-and-everybody-else/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [When Glenda Jackson reveals that she has never been in a relationship with a man in which he hasn't raised his fists to her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/when-glenda-jackson-reveals-that-she-has-never-been-in-a-relationship/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [“Listening to the Gospel on Palm Sunday, it struck me that many people criticise Pontius Pilate for his role in the affair while letting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/listening-to-the-gospel-on-palm-sunday-it-struck-me-that-many-people/) [auberon waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) > [Now that Mandela has been released from prison we can all admit what has been apparent, that he is not a Tembu tribesman, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/now-that-mandela-has-been-released-from-prison-we-can-all-admit-what/) [Auberon Waugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) [Explore all 50 Auberon Waugh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/) ## 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": "Unless people are prepared to declare themselves your enemies you have to hunt around for them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Auberon Waugh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-themselves-your-enemies-you/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-themselves-your-enemies-you/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/auberon-waugh-13554_enemies_unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-th_993528.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/auberon-waugh-13554_enemies_unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-th_993528.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d9a/auberon-waugh-13554_enemies_unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-th_993528.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Unless people are prepared to declare themselves your enemies you have to hunt around for them.” — Auberon Waugh", "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": "Auberon Waugh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/auberon-waugh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Unless people are prepared to declare...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-themselves-your-enemies-you/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/auberon-waugh/unless-people-are-prepared-to-declare-themselves-your-enemies-you/#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 } } ] } ```