--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Fear not your enemies, for they can only…" description: "\"Fear not your enemies, for they can only kill you. Fear not your friends, for they can only betray you. Fear only the indifferent, who permit the kille..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/edward-yashinsky-234868_enemies_fear-not-your-enemies-for-they-can-only_2931631.jpg" --- # Fear not your enemies, for they can only kill you. Fear… ![“Fear not your enemies, for they can only kill you. Fear not your friends, for they can only betray you. Fear only the indifferent, who permit the killers and betrayers to walk safely on the earth.” quote by Edward Yashinsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/edward-yashinsky-234868_enemies_fear-not-your-enemies-for-they-can-only_2931631.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/edward-yashinsky-234868_enemies_fear-not-your-enemies-for-they-can-only_2931631.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a40/edward-yashinsky-234868_enemies_fear-not-your-enemies-for-they-can-only_2931631.jpg) > “Fear not your enemies, for they can only kill you. Fear not your friends, for they can only betray you. Fear only the indifferent, who permit the killers and betrayers to walk safely on the earth.” Edward Yashinsky ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Fear of enemies, friends, and indifference each poses distinct threats; indifference is the most dangerous as it enables harm. **In simple terms:** Indifference is the greatest threat. Key Takeaway ethics;social responsibility Themes political philosophy social commentary activism Mood philosophical political Type Enemies:1 Fear:1 Friends:1 Nature:0 Fear Indifferent:1 Fear Friends:1 Fear Enemies:1 Betray Fear:0 When to use this quote - The hierarchy may be debated. Key Concepts community organizing public policy personal boundaries Questions to Reflect On - critical - concerned A Different Perspective How does indifference enable harm?;What actions counteract social apathy? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Fear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fear/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/nature/) ## Related quotes > [I need not fear my enemies because the most they can do is attack me. I need not fear my friends because the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russian-proverb/i-need-not-fear-my-enemies-because-the-most-they-can-do-is-attack-me/) Russian Proverb > [“Do not fear your enemies. The worst they can do is kill you. Do not fear friends. At worst, they may betray you. Fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/do-not-fear-your-enemies-the-worst-they-can-do-is-kill-you-do-not/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“the fear of being indifferent is not the same as indifference itself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-landweber/the-fear-of-being-indifferent-is-not-the-same-as-indifference-itself/) Michael Landweber > [Never fear your enemies, fear your actions.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-meade/never-fear-your-enemies-fear-your-actions/) [George Meade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-meade/) > [“The worst your enemy can do is kill you. The worst your enemy can do is betray you. Fear only the indifferent because at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-van-lustbader/the-worst-your-enemy-can-do-is-kill-you-the-worst-your-enemy-can-do/) [Eric Van Lustbader](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-van-lustbader/) > [Show no fear to your enemies. Only contempt. Never let anyone look down on you. You're just as good as any of them. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/show-no-fear-to-your-enemies-only-contempt-never-let-anyone-look-down/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [Let us conduct ourselves so that all men wish to be our friends and all fear to be our enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-the-great/let-us-conduct-ourselves-so-that-all-men-wish-to-be-our-friends-and/) [Alexander the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-the-great/) > [Fears, even the most basic ones, can totally destroy our ambitions. Fear, if left unchecked, can destroy our lives. Fear is one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-rohn/fears-even-the-most-basic-ones-can-totally-destroy-our-ambitions-fear/) [Jim Rohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-rohn/) > [ “Do not ever fear your enemies, who attack you relentlessly, But do ever be afraid of the friends who flatter you habitually. \[231\] - 4 (Thoughts)” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/munindra-munnan-misra/do-not-ever-fear-your-enemies-who-attack-you-relentlessly-but-do-ever/) [Munindra (Munnan) Misra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/munindra-munnan-misra/) > [I fear no secret of a person I trust, and he has no need to fear mine. It is part of being friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zedd/i-fear-no-secret-of-a-person-i-trust-and-he-has-no-need-to-fear-mine/) [Zedd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zedd/) > [“Fear has no friends, courage has no enemies.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matshona-dhliwayo/fear-has-no-friends-courage-has-no-enemies/) [Matshona Dhliwayo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matshona-dhliwayo/) > [Girls grow up scarred by caution and enter adulthood eager to shake free of their parents' worst nightmares. They still know to be wary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/girls-grow-up-scarred-by-caution-and-enter-adulthood-eager-to-shake/) [Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/) > [“Fear your friends. Beware of your close friends. Be alert to whom you cast your trust. Because not all of them will help you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-e-quimada/fear-your-friends-beware-of-your-close-friends-be-alert-to-whom-you/) [Nathaniel E. Quimada](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-e-quimada/) > [The brief relief of seeing other people when I leave my room turns into a desperate need to be alone, and then being alone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wurtzel/the-brief-relief-of-seeing-other-people-when-i-leave-my-room-turns/) [Elizabeth Wurtzel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wurtzel/) > [Fear, when your friends say to you what you have done well, and say it through; but when they stand with uncertain timid looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/fear-when-your-friends-say-to-you-what-you-have-done-well-and-say-it/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) ## More Enemies quotes > [“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 > [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/) > [“If it takes night to make day, pain to know pleasure, black to make white, then doesn't it stand to reason that the depth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snyder/if-it-takes-night-to-make-day-pain-to-know-pleasure-black-to-make/) Michael Snyder > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) > [Your greatest weapon is your enemies mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/your-greatest-weapon-is-your-enemies-mind/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Sometimes even paranoids have enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delmore-schwartz/sometimes-even-paranoids-have-enemies/) [Delmore Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delmore-schwartz/) > [When a husband brings his wife flowers for no reason, there's a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-mcgee/when-a-husband-brings-his-wife-flowers-for-no-reason-there-s-a-reason/) Molly McGee > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Anyone who is portraying Israel as a friend is a servant of Israel. I warn some sides against turning enemies into friends and friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/anyone-who-is-portraying-israel-as-a-friend-is-a-servant-of-israel-i/) [Sayed Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/) > [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [I play basketball hard-nosed and if you're not on my team, during that 48 minutes we're enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-play-basketball-hard-nosed-and-if-you-re-not-on-my-team-during-that/) [Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/) > [“Enemies are people who's story you haven't heard, or who's face you haven't seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-butter/enemies-are-people-who-s-story-you-haven-t-heard-or-who-s-face-you/) Irene Butter > [A sweet thing, perspective - a chance to see your enemies so small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/a-sweet-thing-perspective-a-chance-to-see-your-enemies-so-small/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) [Browse all 1,888 Enemies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Fear not your enemies, for they can only kill you. 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