--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A mafia could never kill an alliance…" description: "\"“A mafia could never kill an alliance. That’s how you become safe from the enemy, you befriend them.”\" — Basma Salem" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/basma-salem-38241_enemy_a-mafia-could-never-kill-an-alliance-tha_1366127.jpg" --- # A mafia could never kill an alliance. That’s how you… ![“A mafia could never kill an alliance. That’s how you become safe from the enemy, you befriend them.” quote by Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/basma-salem-38241_enemy_a-mafia-could-never-kill-an-alliance-tha_1366127.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/basma-salem-38241_enemy_a-mafia-could-never-kill-an-alliance-tha_1366127.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/7b3/basma-salem-38241_enemy_a-mafia-could-never-kill-an-alliance-tha_1366127.jpg) > ““A mafia could never kill an alliance. That’s how you become safe from the enemy, you befriend them.”” [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Alliances are protected by mutual respect; killing an ally creates vulnerability, so befriending enemies ensures safety. **In simple terms:** You can’t kill an alliance; befriending enemies keeps you safe. Key Takeaway Build trust, even with former opponents. Themes trust strategic alliances conflict resolution Mood cautious strategic Type political philosophical When to use this quote - politics - business negotiations - community building Key Concepts mutual benefit risk management Questions to Reflect On - When is befriending an enemy risky? - How to maintain trust over time? A Different Perspective Alliances can be fragile despite goodwill. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Mafia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mafia/) ## Related quotes > [The only safe enemy was a headless enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-e-howard/the-only-safe-enemy-was-a-headless-enemy/) [Robert E. Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-e-howard/) > [“He hopes she knows that her words aren't being ignored. He was interrogated and had to play it safe so that the enemy wouldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yanohu-shwiggenstien/he-hopes-she-knows-that-her-words-aren-t-being-ignored-he-was/) Yanohu shwiggenstien > [“The only historian capable of fanning the spark of hope in the past is the one who is firmly convinced that even the dead…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-benjamin/the-only-historian-capable-of-fanning-the-spark-of-hope-in-the-past/) [Walter Benjamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-benjamin/) > [Everyone in the world as their homes are the most safe. But when enemy of his own life, a mellitus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mak-786/everyone-in-the-world-as-their-homes-are-the-most-safe-but-when-enemy/) Mak\_786 > [I hate school. I'm dropping out and becoming a drug dealer. I'll join the mafia too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-hate-school-i-m-dropping-out-and-becoming-a-drug-dealer-i-ll-join/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Stupid I-tai, bring a knife to a gun fight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stupid-i-tai-bring-a-knife-to-a-gun-fight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you get to political machines that can control a state, then you're really into organized crime - almost. You're fighting a political mafia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-capra/when-you-get-to-political-machines-that-can-control-a-state-then-you/) [Frank Capra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-capra/) > [International affairs is very much run like the mafia. The godfather does not accept disobedience, even from a small storekeeper who doesn't pay his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/international-affairs-is-very-much-run-like-the-mafia-the-godfather/) [Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/) > [As long as I could remember I always wanted to be a gangster.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-hill/as-long-as-i-could-remember-i-always-wanted-to-be-a-gangster/) [Henry Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-hill/) > [“I was standing by the car when two police officers showed up in the alley, very interested in me and the BMW in an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tomas-adam-nyapi/i-was-standing-by-the-car-when-two-police-officers-showed-up-in-the/) [Tomas Adam Nyapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tomas-adam-nyapi/) > [I spent much of my prison time reading. I must have read over 200 large books, mostly fictional stories about the American pioneers, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frazier-glenn-miller-jr/i-spent-much-of-my-prison-time-reading-i-must-have-read-over-200/) Frazier Glenn Miller, Jr > [“They have secret weapons that break the heart of innocents, elevate stress levels, shoot down to make it look guilt. They can burn from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-karvouni/they-have-secret-weapons-that-break-the-heart-of-innocents-elevate/) [Maria Karvouni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-karvouni/) > [Some newspapers in Britain have become closer to these kind of mafia families. They wield an incredible power. They choose our governments, they choose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hugh-grant/some-newspapers-in-britain-have-become-closer-to-these-kind-of-mafia/) [Hugh Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hugh-grant/) > [If you think about the traditional mafia stories we grew up on, it is always about the death of criminal organisations - things like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-watkins/if-you-think-about-the-traditional-mafia-stories-we-grew-up-on-it-is/) [James Watkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-watkins/) > [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. The real community is built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-m-very-proud-of-being-italian-american-but-people-don-t-realize/) [Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/) ## More by Basma Salem > [“If you were crossing the road and saw a black cat passing, you may possibly get hit by a car, or a mail boy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/if-you-were-crossing-the-road-and-saw-a-black-cat-passing-you-may/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“And she could clearly remember how the first time she met him, he was like a sketch paper filled with grey and blue and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/and-she-could-clearly-remember-how-the-first-time-she-met-him-he-was/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“You can’t move on, if you haven’t forgiven yourself, yet.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/you-can-t-move-on-if-you-haven-t-forgiven-yourself-yet/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“Every time she meets him, she feels like he was a new paper ready to be drawn. And she could clearly remember how the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/every-time-she-meets-him-she-feels-like-he-was-a-new-paper-ready-to/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“It just feels like meeting him again was like seeing a blank paper ready to be sketched, a different idea to be drawn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/it-just-feels-like-meeting-him-again-was-like-seeing-a-blank-paper/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“You draw characters speaking loud and clear but you’re not hearing them.” her mother told her, then she kissed her forehead and mumbled how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/you-draw-characters-speaking-loud-and-clear-but-you-re-not-hearing/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“She was always like this, only moves when her mind and heart tells her to move, not doing what everyone demanded her to do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/she-was-always-like-this-only-moves-when-her-mind-and-heart-tells-her/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“Her flat looked like a mess –a coloring mess. Once you enter it, you can feel like a person had eaten all the colors…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/her-flat-looked-like-a-mess-a-coloring-mess-once-you-enter-it-you-can/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“You draw characters speaking loud and clear but you’re not hearing them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/you-draw-characters-speaking-loud-and-clear-but-you-re-not-hearing-2/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“Was he shiny and bright and something sucked it out of him? Cecilia thought. But stars are a load of fire, maybe his were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/was-he-shiny-and-bright-and-something-sucked-it-out-of-him-cecilia/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) > [“Everything was bright and white, even in the night.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/basma-salem/everything-was-bright-and-white-even-in-the-night/) [Basma Salem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) [Explore all 12 Basma Salem quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/basma-salem/) ## More Enemy quotes > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Fear is a man's worst enemy, but love is a man's most powerful weapon against anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-a-man-s-worst-enemy-but-love-is-a-man-s-most-powerful-weapon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [“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 > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [In this business, you find the enemy, then go after and destroy him. Everything else is rubbish!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/in-this-business-you-find-the-enemy-then-go-after-and-destroy-him/) [Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/) > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) [Browse all 7,981 Enemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“A mafia could never kill an alliance. 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