--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whenever they are attending to the Enemy…" description: "\"“Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing them from doing so. The simplest is to turn their g..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/c-s-lewis-121_quote_whenever-they-are-attending-to-the-enemy_1786989.jpg" --- # Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are… ![“Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing them from doing so. The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves.5 Keep them watching their own minds6 and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own wills.” quote by C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/c-s-lewis-121_quote_whenever-they-are-attending-to-the-enemy_1786989.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/c-s-lewis-121_quote_whenever-they-are-attending-to-the-enemy_1786989.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/709/c-s-lewis-121_quote_whenever-they-are-attending-to-the-enemy_1786989.jpg) > ““Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing them from doing so. The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves.5 Keep them watching their own minds6 and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own wills.”” [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Diverting attention from external evil to self‑reflection reduces its power over us. **In simple terms:** Focus inward to weaken external threats. Key Takeaway Cultivate self‑awareness and inner discipline. Themes psychology self‑control spirituality ethics mindfulness Mood reflective thoughtful serene Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal crises - conflict resolution - addiction recovery - stress management - leadership decisions Key Concepts cognitive reframing inner vigilance willpower Questions to Reflect On - What internal patterns empower external challenges? - How can you balance self‑work with external action? A Different Perspective Self‑focus may ignore systemic issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attending Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attending-enemy-1912287/) [Defeated Ways](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeated-ways-1912288/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Defeated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-defeated-772828/) [Gaze Away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gaze-away-583318/) ## Related quotes > [Should you encounter the enemy, he will be defeated! No quarter will be given! Prisoners will not be taken! Whoever falls into your hands…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilhelm-ii/should-you-encounter-the-enemy-he-will-be-defeated-no-quarter-will-be/) [Wilhelm II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wilhelm-ii/) > [“I'm sorry," he says, his fingers closing around mine. "You shouldn't be looking at such..." "Such what?" I ask, a question that is rapidly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quenby-olson/i-m-sorry-he-says-his-fingers-closing-around-mine-you-shouldn-t-be/) [Quenby Olson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quenby-olson/) > [“He foll0wed her as she crossed to the four-station apparatus. His attention was glued to her butt the whole way. realizing what he was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-mayberry/he-foll0wed-her-as-she-crossed-to-the-four-station-apparatus-his/) [Sarah Mayberry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-mayberry/) > [“I do understand that,” said Cinder, her tone heavy as she pulled her gaze away from Jacin, meeting each of the others’ in turn.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marissa-meyer/i-do-understand-that-said-cinder-her-tone-heavy-as-she-pulled-her/) [Marissa Meyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marissa-meyer/) > [Even the sun directs our gaze away from itself and to the life illumined by it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eberhard-arnold/even-the-sun-directs-our-gaze-away-from-itself-and-to-the-life/) [Eberhard Arnold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eberhard-arnold/) > [“I find it hard to tear my gaze away from that that fantastic ass.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lila-monroe/i-find-it-hard-to-tear-my-gaze-away-from-that-that-fantastic-ass/) [Lila Monroe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lila-monroe/) > [He who knows his enemy and himself well will not be defeated easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/he-who-knows-his-enemy-and-himself-well-will-not-be-defeated-easily/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Who asks whether the enemy was defeated by strategy or valor?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/virgil/who-asks-whether-the-enemy-was-defeated-by-strategy-or-valor/) [Virgil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/virgil/) > [President Lincoln chose to fight a bloody and unpopular war because he believed the enemy had to be defeated. He was right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hegseth/president-lincoln-chose-to-fight-a-bloody-and-unpopular-war-because/) [Pete Hegseth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hegseth/) > [“An enemy is defeated by keeping quite, a demon by a prayer.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andries-kumalo/an-enemy-is-defeated-by-keeping-quite-a-demon-by-a-prayer/) [Andries kumalo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andries-kumalo/) > [While no man in his right mind would advocate sending our ground forces into continental China, and such was never given a thought, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/while-no-man-in-his-right-mind-would-advocate-sending-our-ground/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [“The Enemy takes this risk because He has a curious fantasy of making all these disgusting little human vermin into what He calls His…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-enemy-takes-this-risk-because-he-has-a-curious-fantasy-of-making/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“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/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by C.S. Lewis > [“At the moment, then, of Man’s victory over Nature, we find the whole human race subjected to some individual men, and those individuals subjected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/at-the-moment-then-of-man-s-victory-over-nature-we-find-the-whole/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Isn’t it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified of the other?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a-fierce-left-and-a-fierce/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“All Hell is smaller than one pebble of your earthly world: but it is smaller than one atom of this world, the Real World.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/all-hell-is-smaller-than-one-pebble-of-your-earthly-world-but-it-is/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“the greatest service we can do to education today is to teach fewer subjects. No one has time to do more than a very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-greatest-service-we-can-do-to-education-today-is-to-teach-fewer/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If the Divine call does not make us better, it will make us very much worse. Of all bad men religious bad men are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-the-divine-call-does-not-make-us-better-it-will-make-us-very-much/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“The husband is the head of the wife just in so far as he is to her what Christ is to the Church -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/the-husband-is-the-head-of-the-wife-just-in-so-far-as-he-is-to-her/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“We use a most unfortunate idiom when we say, of a lustful man prowling the streets, that he "wants a woman". Strictly speaking, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/we-use-a-most-unfortunate-idiom-when-we-say-of-a-lustful-man-prowling/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Después de cada fracaso, pedid perdón, levantaos del suelo y volved a intentarlo. Muy a menudo, lo que Dios nos otorga primero no es…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/despu-s-de-cada-fracaso-pedid-perd-n-levantaos-del-suelo-y-volved-a/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Then two wonders happened at the same moment. One was that the voice was suddenly joined by other voices; more voices than you could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/then-two-wonders-happened-at-the-same-moment-one-was-that-the-voice/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Because free will, though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/because-free-will-though-it-makes-evil-possible-is-also-the-only/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Laugh and fear not, creatures. Now that you are no longer dumb and witless, you need not always be grave. For jokes as well…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/laugh-and-fear-not-creatures-now-that-you-are-no-longer-dumb-and/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“When two humans have lived together for many years it usually happens that each has tones of voice and expressions of face which are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/when-two-humans-have-lived-together-for-many-years-it-usually-happens/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“He sees as well as you do that courage is not simply one of the virtues, but the form of every virtue at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/he-sees-as-well-as-you-do-that-courage-is-not-simply-one-of-the/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“If you do not take the distinction between good and bad very seriously, then it is easy to say that anything you find in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/if-you-do-not-take-the-distinction-between-good-and-bad-very/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) > [“Now the whole offer which Christianity makes is this: that we can, if we let God have His way, come to share in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/now-the-whole-offer-which-christianity-makes-is-this-that-we-can-if/) [C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) [Explore all 1,165 C.S. Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Whenever they are attending to the Enemy Himself we are defeated, but there are ways of preventing them from doing so. The simplest is to turn their gaze away from Him towards themselves.5 Keep them watching their own minds6 and trying to produce feelings there by the action of their own wills.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "C.S. 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