---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you would keep your secret from an…"
description: "\"If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.\" — Benjamin Franklin"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/benjamin-franklin-65_enemy_if-you-would-keep-your-secret-from-an-en_413967.png"
---

#  If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not…

![“If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.” quote by Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/benjamin-franklin-65_enemy_if-you-would-keep-your-secret-from-an-en_413967.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/benjamin-franklin-65_enemy_if-you-would-keep-your-secret-from-an-en_413967.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3ac/benjamin-franklin-65_enemy_if-you-would-keep-your-secret-from-an-en_413967.png)

> “If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.”

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Keeping secrets from enemies requires not confiding in friends who might betray you.

**In simple terms:** Guard secrets by limiting who knows them.

Key Takeaway

Share only with trusted, reliable allies.

Themes

trust secrecy strategy

Mood

cautious strategic

Type

advice historical

When to use this quote

- business negotiations
- personal relationships
- political intrigue

Key Concepts

political theory psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Who can you truly trust?
- What risks arise from sharing secrets?

A Different Perspective

Friends may still be unreliable.

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[Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Keeping secrets](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/keeping-secrets/) [Secrecy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secrecy/) [Secret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/secret/)

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## More by Benjamin Franklin

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[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

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## 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/)

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