--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Close alliances with despots are never…" description: "\"Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.\" — Demosthenes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/demosthenes-11463_alliances_close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-s_522704.jpg" --- # Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states. ![“Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.” quote by Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/demosthenes-11463_alliances_close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-s_522704.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/demosthenes-11463_alliances_close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-s_522704.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/demosthenes-11463_alliances_close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-s_522704.jpg) > “Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.” [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aligning with tyrants endangers liberty; free states should avoid such partnerships. **In simple terms:** Alliances with despots are unsafe. Key Takeaway Prioritize alliances with shared values. Themes politics freedom alliances danger ethics Mood cautious strategic Type political reflective When to use this quote - diplomatic negotiations - international treaties - coalition building - policy making Key Concepts realpolitik statecraft moral calculus Questions to Reflect On - What safeguards can protect freedom in alliances? - When is compromise acceptable? A Different Perspective May ignore pragmatic benefits of strategic alliances. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alliances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/) [Despots](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/despots/) [Safety](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/safety/) ## Related quotes > [Excessive dealings with tyrants are not good for the security of free states.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/excessive-dealings-with-tyrants-are-not-good-for-the-security-of-free/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [I have said a hundred times, and I have no inclination to take it back, that I believe there is no right, and ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/i-have-said-a-hundred-times-and-i-have-no-inclination-to-take-it-back/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [Disunion and civil war are at hand; and yet I fear disunion and war less than compromise. We can recover from them. The free…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rutherford-b-hayes/disunion-and-civil-war-are-at-hand-and-yet-i-fear-disunion-and-war-2/) [Rutherford B. Hayes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rutherford-b-hayes/) > [The commerce of a free people is many times more valuable than that of slaves. Freemen produce and consume vastly more than slaves. They…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lysander-spooner/the-commerce-of-a-free-people-is-many-times-more-valuable-than-that/) [Lysander Spooner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lysander-spooner/) > [In every country and every age, the priest has been hostile to liberty. He is always in alliance with the despot, abetting his abuses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/in-every-country-and-every-age-the-priest-has-been-hostile-to-liberty/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Egotism erects its center in itself; love places it out of itself in the axis of the universal whole. Love aims at unity, egotismat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/egotism-erects-its-center-in-itself-love-places-it-out-of-itself-in/) [August Wilhelm von Schlegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/august-wilhelm-von-schlegel/) > [It is the old practice of despots to use a part of the people to keep the rest in order.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/it-is-the-old-practice-of-despots-to-use-a-part-of-the-people-to-keep/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Those who disagree with the dictator's plan have no other means to carry on than to defeat the despot by force of arms.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/those-who-disagree-with-the-dictator-s-plan-have-no-other-means-to/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Freedom is contagious. That's why despots fear it so much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-owens/freedom-is-contagious-that-s-why-despots-fear-it-so-much/) [Bill Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-owens/) > [Nothing is more durable than the dynasty of Doubt; for he reigns in the hearts of all his people, but gives satisfaction to none…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/nothing-is-more-durable-than-the-dynasty-of-doubt-for-he-reigns-in/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [Every State is a despotism, be the despot one or many.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-stirner/every-state-is-a-despotism-be-the-despot-one-or-many/) [Max Stirner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-stirner/) > [There are three kinds of despots. There is the despot who tyrannizes over the body. There is the despot who tyrannizes over the soul.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/there-are-three-kinds-of-despots-there-is-the-despot-who-tyrannizes/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [All ideas advanced to deal with the Florentine noise problem, the Florentine traffic problem, are Utopian, and nobody believes in them, just as nobody…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-mccarthy/all-ideas-advanced-to-deal-with-the-florentine-noise-problem-the/) [Mary McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-mccarthy/) > [If Despotism failed only for want of a capable benevolent despot, what chance has Democracy, which requires a whole population of capable voters.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-bernard-shaw/if-despotism-failed-only-for-want-of-a-capable-benevolent-despot-what/) [George Bernard Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-bernard-shaw/) > [At a distance, we cannot conceive of the authority of a despot who knows all his subjects on sight.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stendhal/at-a-distance-we-cannot-conceive-of-the-authority-of-a-despot-who/) [Stendhal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stendhal/) ## More by Demosthenes > [As a vessel is known by the sound, whether it be cracked or not; so men are proved, by their speeches, whether they be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/as-a-vessel-is-known-by-the-sound-whether-it-be-cracked-or-not-so-men/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [There is one safeguard known generally to the wise, which is an advantage and security to all, but especially to democracies as against despots.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/there-is-one-safeguard-known-generally-to-the-wise-which-is-an/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Nothing is so easy as to deceive oneself; for what we wish, we readily believe.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-so-easy-as-to-deceive-oneself-for-what-we-wish-we-readily/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [You cannot have a proud and chivalrous spirit if your conduct is mean and paltry; for whatever a man's actions are, such must be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/you-cannot-have-a-proud-and-chivalrous-spirit-if-your-conduct-is-mean/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Every advantage in the past is judged in the light of the final issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/every-advantage-in-the-past-is-judged-in-the-light-of-the-final-issue/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [By persistent labor man may attain to all excellence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/by-persistent-labor-man-may-attain-to-all-excellence/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [He who confers a favor should at once forget it, if he is not to show a sordid ungenerous spirit. To remind a man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/he-who-confers-a-favor-should-at-once-forget-it-if-he-is-not-to-show/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Since we are not yet fully comfortable with the idea that people from the next village are as human as ourselves, it is presumptuous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/since-we-are-not-yet-fully-comfortable-with-the-idea-that-people-from/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“Nothing is easier than self-deceit. For what each me wishes, that he also believes is true.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/nothing-is-easier-than-self-deceit-for-what-each-me-wishes-that-he/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Success has a great tendency to conceal and throw a veil over the evil deeds of men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/success-has-a-great-tendency-to-conceal-and-throw-a-veil-over-the/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [I decline to buy repentance at the cost of ten thousand drachmas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/i-decline-to-buy-repentance-at-the-cost-of-ten-thousand-drachmas/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“Was man wünscht, das glaubt auch jeder.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/was-man-w-nscht-das-glaubt-auch-jeder/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [It is impossible for men engaged in low and groveling pursuits to have noble and generous sentiments. A man's thought must always follow his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/it-is-impossible-for-men-engaged-in-low-and-groveling-pursuits-to/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [“I'll betide thee, say I, and may the Gods, or at least the Athenians, confound thee for a vile citizen and a vile third-rate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/i-ll-betide-thee-say-i-and-may-the-gods-or-at-least-the-athenians/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) > [Everything great is not always good, but all good things, are great.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/everything-great-is-not-always-good-but-all-good-things-are-great/) [Demosthenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) [Explore all 59 Demosthenes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/) ## More Alliances quotes > [ \[U\]nless oppressed groups stick together, and on alliances of self interest rather than do-goodism; nothing can be accomplished in the long run to dismantle… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/u-nless-oppressed-groups-stick-together-and-on-alliances-of-self/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Men since the beginning of time have sought peace...military alliances, balances of power, leagues of nations, all in turn have failed, leaving the only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-macarthur/men-since-the-beginning-of-time-have-sought-peace-military-alliances/) [Douglas MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-macarthur/) > [The U.S. always needs an enemy. It comes and goes. Today it is Islam. According to this plan or ideology of the born-again Christians…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walid-jumblatt/the-u-s-always-needs-an-enemy-it-comes-and-goes-today-it-is-islam/) [Walid Jumblatt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walid-jumblatt/) > [I would be quite happy to see the Northern Alliance steam across northern Afghanistan and take Kabul.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geoff-hoon/i-would-be-quite-happy-to-see-the-northern-alliance-steam-across/) [Geoff Hoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geoff-hoon/) > [We are very wrong to think that some fault or other can exclude virtue, or to consider the alliance of good and evil as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/luc-de-clapiers/we-are-very-wrong-to-think-that-some-fault-or-other-can-exclude/) [Luc de Clapiers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/luc-de-clapiers/) > [Love and friendship, two of life's abiding rewards, are endangered species in Hollywood. People crave both, mistaking alliance for friendship, lust for love, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynda-obst/love-and-friendship-two-of-life-s-abiding-rewards-are-endangered/) [Lynda Obst](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynda-obst/) > [...to befoul the unholy alliance between corrupt business and corrupt politics is the first task of the statesmanship of the day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/to-befoul-the-unholy-alliance-between-corrupt-business-and-corrupt/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [I prayed for the first time in a very long time today. I explained to God that unless he wanted the Marxist-Islamic alliance and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anders-behring-breivik/i-prayed-for-the-first-time-in-a-very-long-time-today-i-explained-to/) Anders Behring Breivik > [You cannot lead an alliance if you say you're going alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/you-cannot-lead-an-alliance-if-you-say-you-re-going-alone/) [George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/) > [An alliance is like a chain. It is not made stronger by adding weak links to it. A great power like the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/an-alliance-is-like-a-chain-it-is-not-made-stronger-by-adding-weak/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [Behind the ostensible government sits enthroned an invisible government owing no allegiance and acknowledging no responsibility to the people. To destroy this invisible government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-roosevelt/behind-the-ostensible-government-sits-enthroned-an-invisible/) [Theodore Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-roosevelt/) > [Clearly, gay marriage is on the top of the agenda right now. It's pretty amazing, considering where stuff was at when I was in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-hanna/clearly-gay-marriage-is-on-the-top-of-the-agenda-right-now-it-s/) [Kathleen Hanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-hanna/) > [America must always be the world's paramount military power, but we can magnify our power through alliances.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kerry/america-must-always-be-the-world-s-paramount-military-power-but-we/) [John F. Kerry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kerry/) > [In 1491 the Inka ruled the greatest empire on earth. Bigger than Ming Dynasty China, bigger than Ivan the Great’s expanding Russia, bigger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-c-mann/in-1491-the-inka-ruled-the-greatest-empire-on-earth-bigger-than-ming/) [Charles C. Mann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-c-mann/) > [ I told \[ David Lange\] he was crazy, because you can't have an alliance relationship if you refuse access to their ships. And the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hawke/i-told-david-lange-he-was-crazy-because-you-can-t-have-an-alliance/) [Bob Hawke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hawke/) [Browse all 389 Alliances quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Demosthenes" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-safe-for-free-states/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alliances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-safe-for-free-states/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/demosthenes-11463_alliances_close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-s_522704.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/demosthenes-11463_alliances_close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-s_522704.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/5fb/demosthenes-11463_alliances_close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-s_522704.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Close alliances with despots are never safe for free states.” — Demosthenes", "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": "Demosthenes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/demosthenes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Close alliances with despots are never...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-safe-for-free-states/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/demosthenes/close-alliances-with-despots-are-never-safe-for-free-states/#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 } } ] } ```