---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow…"
description: "\"Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim.\" — Betty Friedan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/betty-friedan-3185_enemy_man-is-not-the-enemy-here-but-the-fellow_614341.jpg"
---

#  Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim.

![“Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim.” quote by Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/betty-friedan-3185_enemy_man-is-not-the-enemy-here-but-the-fellow_614341.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/betty-friedan-3185_enemy_man-is-not-the-enemy-here-but-the-fellow_614341.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/931/betty-friedan-3185_enemy_man-is-not-the-enemy-here-but-the-fellow_614341.jpg)

> “Man is not the enemy here, but the fellow victim.”

[Betty Friedan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/)

## About This Quote

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

It highlights that systemic oppression harms both genders, making them co‑victims rather than adversaries.

**In simple terms:** Both genders suffer under patriarchy.

Key Takeaway

Recognize shared struggles.

Themes

gender equality oppression solidarity

Mood

reflective empathetic

Type

analytical inspirational

When to use this quote

- workplace
- policy reform
- education
- activism

Key Concepts

feminist theory social dynamics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can we foster mutual support across genders?
- What actions reduce systemic harm?

A Different Perspective

May overlook individual agency within structures.

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[Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) [Victim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/victim/)

## Related quotes

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> [“I went further than forgiving the clerk, I accepted her as a fellow victim of the same puppeteer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/i-went-further-than-forgiving-the-clerk-i-accepted-her-as-a-fellow/)

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> [A good man can never be the enemy of someone; if he did, he ain't a good man!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/a-good-man-can-never-be-the-enemy-of-someone-if-he-did-he-ain-t-a/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

> [“When a man's his own enemy, it's only because he's too much his own friend; not because he's careful for everybody but himself. Pooh!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/when-a-man-s-his-own-enemy-it-s-only-because-he-s-too-much-his-own/)

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> [You must consider every man your enemy who speaks ill of your King, and you must treat every Frenchman as if he were the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatio-nelson/you-must-consider-every-man-your-enemy-who-speaks-ill-of-your-king/)

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> [In retrospect, it is evident that the emphasis on 'man as enemy' deflected attention away from focus on improving relationships between women and men,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-retrospect-it-is-evident-that-the-emphasis-on-man-as-enemy/)

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> [Each government accuses the other of perfidy, intrigue and ambition, as a means of heating the imagination of their respective nations, and incensing them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/each-government-accuses-the-other-of-perfidy-intrigue-and-ambition-as/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

> [By taking revenge a man is but even with his enemy; but in passing over it he is superior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-clark/by-taking-revenge-a-man-is-but-even-with-his-enemy-but-in-passing/)

[Denise Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-clark/)

> [The one thing that I'm always gonna promote is, 'Don't look at a fellow black man as an enemy.' And it's hard. It's really…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demetrius-shipp-jr/the-one-thing-that-i-m-always-gonna-promote-is-don-t-look-at-a-fellow/)

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> [What sort of an age is this where a man becomes one's enemy only when his back is turned?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-pynchon/what-sort-of-an-age-is-this-where-a-man-becomes-one-s-enemy-only-when/)

[Thomas Pynchon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-pynchon/)

> [In revenge a man is but even with his enemy; for it is a princely thing to pardon, and Solomon saith it is the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-bacon/in-revenge-a-man-is-but-even-with-his-enemy-for-it-is-a-princely/)

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[Vikrant Parsai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vikrant-parsai/)

> [I thought that a man can be an enemy of other men, of the moments of other men, but not of a country: not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jorge-luis-borges/i-thought-that-a-man-can-be-an-enemy-of-other-men-of-the-moments-of/)

[Jorge Luis Borges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jorge-luis-borges/)

## More by Betty Friedan

> [It is easier to live life through someone else than to become complete yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/it-is-easier-to-live-life-through-someone-else-than-to-become/)

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> [A good woman is one who loves passionately, has guts, seriousness and passionate convictions, takes responsibility, and shapes society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/a-good-woman-is-one-who-loves-passionately-has-guts-seriousness-and/)

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> [...women who 'adjust' as housewives, who grow up wanting to be 'just a housewife,' are in as much danger as the millions who walked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/women-who-adjust-as-housewives-who-grow-up-wanting-to-be-just-a/)

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> [You can have it all, just not all at the same time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betty-friedan/you-can-have-it-all-just-not-all-at-the-same-time/)

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[Explore all 137 Betty Friedan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betty-friedan/)

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