--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If you have an adversary, an opponent…" description: "\"If you have an adversary, an opponent with an opposing point of view, give that person a platform, regardless of how extreme it may be.\" — Daryl Davis" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/daryl-davis-7572_adversary_if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-wit_128469.jpg" --- # If you have an adversary, an opponent with an opposing… ![“If you have an adversary, an opponent with an opposing point of view, give that person a platform, regardless of how extreme it may be.” quote by Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/daryl-davis-7572_adversary_if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-wit_128469.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/daryl-davis-7572_adversary_if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-wit_128469.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/daryl-davis-7572_adversary_if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-wit_128469.jpg) > “If you have an adversary, an opponent with an opposing point of view, give that person a platform, regardless of how extreme it may be.” [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even extreme viewpoints deserve a platform to foster dialogue and understanding. **In simple terms:** Give opponents a voice, even if extreme. Key Takeaway Facilitate open discourse. Themes free speech dialogue extremism Mood thoughtful concerned Type political ethical When to use this quote - political debates - media - community forums Key Concepts platform ethics civic engagement Practical Applications - allow diverse voices - moderate respectfully Questions to Reflect On - When should speech be limited? - How to balance free speech and safety? A Different Perspective Risk of amplifying harmful ideas. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Adversary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversary/) [Point of view](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/point-of-view/) ## Related quotes > [So be gentle with yourself; show yourself the same kindness and patience you might show a young child - the child you once were.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-millman/so-be-gentle-with-yourself-show-yourself-the-same-kindness-and/) [Dan Millman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-millman/) > [You do not need millions of followers to know and to feel that you have a platform. I feel like everyone should realize that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bretman-rock/you-do-not-need-millions-of-followers-to-know-and-to-feel-that-you/) [Bretman Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bretman-rock/) > [I've always wondered if people who block each other from expressing their opinions do so because they have so little confidence in their own.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bloomberg/i-ve-always-wondered-if-people-who-block-each-other-from-expressing/) [Michael Bloomberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bloomberg/) > [If you have an adversary, you don't have to respect what they're saying, but respect their right to say it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/if-you-have-an-adversary-you-don-t-have-to-respect-what-they-re/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [“You will never come up against a greater adversary than your own potential.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/star-trekek-the-next-generation-episode-guide-team/you-will-never-come-up-against-a-greater-adversary-than-your-own/) Star trekek The Next Generation Episode Guide Team > [Only way to eliminate the element of surprise is to know yourself and now your adversary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-st-pierre/only-way-to-eliminate-the-element-of-surprise-is-to-know-yourself-and/) [Georges St-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-st-pierre/) > [“We have first seized the front line of trenches, then the second and the third, and our adversary, shut up in his retreat, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corneliu-zelea-codreanu/we-have-first-seized-the-front-line-of-trenches-then-the-second-and/) [Corneliu Zelea Codreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corneliu-zelea-codreanu/) > [“I've never viewed you as an enemy, more an adversary...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/i-ve-never-viewed-you-as-an-enemy-more-an-adversary/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [Historically, it is important to try to understand your adversary in order to figure out how they are thinking, what they will be doing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/historically-it-is-important-to-try-to-understand-your-adversary-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“price. There is no such thing as pure good or pure evil, least of all in people. In the best of us there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/price-there-is-no-such-thing-as-pure-good-or-pure-evil-least-of-all/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [You negotiate in bad faith if you do not forgive your adversary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/you-negotiate-in-bad-faith-if-you-do-not-forgive-your-adversary/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [And these two elements are at odds with one another because Freud is utterly adversary to almost all the ways of structuring the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/and-these-two-elements-are-at-odds-with-one-another-because-freud-is/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [My adversary is the world of finance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/my-adversary-is-the-world-of-finance/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [Anthony Weiner is a crafty and worthy adversary - an unrepentant lefty who is usually a savvy media player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stone/anthony-weiner-is-a-crafty-and-worthy-adversary-an-unrepentant-lefty/) [Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-stone/) > [“Satan wants you to believe that you don't have a choice in the matter. You can't be happy until things go the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-rietzsch/satan-wants-you-to-believe-that-you-don-t-have-a-choice-in-the-matter/) Lindsey Rietzsch ## More by Daryl Davis > [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [They've changed the name from white supremacy to white separatists, to white nationalists, to alt-right. It's the same thing. A rose by any other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/they-ve-changed-the-name-from-white-supremacy-to-white-separatists-to/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [I have been attacked and mistreated for my skin colour since I was a child.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/i-have-been-attacked-and-mistreated-for-my-skin-colour-since-i-was-a/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [At the end, ignorance is the source of biases. If we cure that, there's nothing to fear and hate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/at-the-end-ignorance-is-the-source-of-biases-if-we-cure-that-there-s/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [There's a difference between being ignorant and being stupid... For me, an ignorant person is someone who makes the wrong decision or a bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/there-s-a-difference-between-being-ignorant-and-being-stupid-for-me/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Find someone who disagrees and invite them to your table.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/find-someone-who-disagrees-and-invite-them-to-your-table/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Our society can only become one of two things, it can be become what we let it become or it can become what we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/our-society-can-only-become-one-of-two-things-it-can-be-become-what/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [If you were to talk to somebody from Georgia you would understand what he's saying, he wouldn't sound like your next-door neighbor in Montana,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/if-you-were-to-talk-to-somebody-from-georgia-you-would-understand/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Every racist that I know - and I know a lot of racists - every racist that I know voted for Donald Trump.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/every-racist-that-i-know-and-i-know-a-lot-of-racists-every-racist/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [It was incomprehensible to me that someone who had never seen me before, someone who knew absolutely nothing about me, would want to inflict…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/it-was-incomprehensible-to-me-that-someone-who-had-never-seen-me/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [The most important thing I learned is that when you are actively learning about someone else you are passively teaching them about yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/the-most-important-thing-i-learned-is-that-when-you-are-actively/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [You're not going to beat the meanness out of a mean dog. You start beating a mean dog, it's gonna become more mean. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/you-re-not-going-to-beat-the-meanness-out-of-a-mean-dog-you-start/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [He spoke nine languages. You know some people can just pick up an instrument and play. My father was like that with languages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/he-spoke-nine-languages-you-know-some-people-can-just-pick-up-an/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [Music absolutely played a massive role in bridging many gaps in the racial divides I would encounter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/music-absolutely-played-a-massive-role-in-bridging-many-gaps-in-the/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) > [We've simply been putting Band-Aids on the wounds of racism. We haven't drilled down to the bone to get to its source.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/we-ve-simply-been-putting-band-aids-on-the-wounds-of-racism-we-haven/) [Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) [Explore all 90 Daryl Davis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/) ## More Adversary quotes > [“Satan wants you to believe that you don't have a choice in the matter. You can't be happy until things go the way that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lindsey-rietzsch/satan-wants-you-to-believe-that-you-don-t-have-a-choice-in-the-matter/) Lindsey Rietzsch > [Anthony Weiner is a crafty and worthy adversary - an unrepentant lefty who is usually a savvy media player.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-stone/anthony-weiner-is-a-crafty-and-worthy-adversary-an-unrepentant-lefty/) [Roger Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-stone/) > [My adversary is the world of finance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-hollande/my-adversary-is-the-world-of-finance/) [Francois Hollande](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-hollande/) > [And these two elements are at odds with one another because Freud is utterly adversary to almost all the ways of structuring the human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chaim-potok/and-these-two-elements-are-at-odds-with-one-another-because-freud-is/) [Chaim Potok](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chaim-potok/) > [You negotiate in bad faith if you do not forgive your adversary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nelson-mandela/you-negotiate-in-bad-faith-if-you-do-not-forgive-your-adversary/) [Nelson Mandela](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nelson-mandela/) > [“price. There is no such thing as pure good or pure evil, least of all in people. In the best of us there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-goodkind/price-there-is-no-such-thing-as-pure-good-or-pure-evil-least-of-all/) [Terry Goodkind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-goodkind/) > [Historically, it is important to try to understand your adversary in order to figure out how they are thinking, what they will be doing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/historically-it-is-important-to-try-to-understand-your-adversary-in/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [“I've never viewed you as an enemy, more an adversary...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joanne-harris/i-ve-never-viewed-you-as-an-enemy-more-an-adversary/) [Joanne Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joanne-harris/) > [“We have first seized the front line of trenches, then the second and the third, and our adversary, shut up in his retreat, in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/corneliu-zelea-codreanu/we-have-first-seized-the-front-line-of-trenches-then-the-second-and/) [Corneliu Zelea Codreanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/corneliu-zelea-codreanu/) > [Only way to eliminate the element of surprise is to know yourself and now your adversary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georges-st-pierre/only-way-to-eliminate-the-element-of-surprise-is-to-know-yourself-and/) [Georges St-Pierre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georges-st-pierre/) > [“You will never come up against a greater adversary than your own potential.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/star-trekek-the-next-generation-episode-guide-team/you-will-never-come-up-against-a-greater-adversary-than-your-own/) Star trekek The Next Generation Episode Guide Team > [“Whenever i see someone fighting me for no reason, I'm always highly impressed that God has instigated his anger against me, just as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/whenever-i-see-someone-fighting-me-for-no-reason-i-m-always-highly/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) > [An exhausted man easily falls prey to the adversary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-oswald-sanders/an-exhausted-man-easily-falls-prey-to-the-adversary/) [J. Oswald Sanders](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-oswald-sanders/) > [It is wrong to follow the advice of an adversary; nevertheless it is right to hear it, that you may do the contrary; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saadi/it-is-wrong-to-follow-the-advice-of-an-adversary-nevertheless-it-is/) [Saadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saadi/) > [Superwoman is the adversary of the women's movement.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/superwoman-is-the-adversary-of-the-women-s-movement/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) [Browse all 142 Adversary quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/adversary/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "If you have an adversary, an opponent with an opposing point of view, give that person a platform, regardless of how extreme it may be.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Daryl Davis" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-with-an-opposing-point-of-view/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Adversary" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-with-an-opposing-point-of-view/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/daryl-davis-7572_adversary_if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-wit_128469.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/daryl-davis-7572_adversary_if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-wit_128469.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a7c/daryl-davis-7572_adversary_if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-wit_128469.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“If you have an adversary, an opponent with an opposing point of view, give that person a platform…” — Daryl Davis", "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": "Daryl Davis", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "If you have an adversary, an...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-with-an-opposing-point-of-view/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/if-you-have-an-adversary-an-opponent-with-an-opposing-point-of-view/#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 } } ] } ```