--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Beware making a person, rather than a…" description: "\"“Beware making a person, rather than a position, the opposition. If we do that we run the risk of losing that person as an ally on another issue about ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/elouise-bell-61199_opposition_beware-making-a-person-rather-than-a-pos_2480686.jpg" --- # Beware making a person, rather than a position, the… ![“Beware making a person, rather than a position, the opposition. If we do that we run the risk of losing that person as an ally on another issue about which we both agree. Moreover, if we think of persons as the opposition, we may end up arguing personalities rather than issues, and at that point…” quote by Elouise Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/elouise-bell-61199_opposition_beware-making-a-person-rather-than-a-pos_2480686.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/elouise-bell-61199_opposition_beware-making-a-person-rather-than-a-pos_2480686.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a77/elouise-bell-61199_opposition_beware-making-a-person-rather-than-a-pos_2480686.jpg) > ““Beware making a person, rather than a position, the opposition. If we do that we run the risk of losing that person as an ally on another issue about which we both agree. Moreover, if we think of persons as the opposition, we may end up arguing personalities rather than issues, and at that point reason goes out the window”” [Elouise Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elouise-bell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treating individuals as opponents rather than focusing on specific issues can damage relationships and shift debates from ideas to personalities, undermining constructive dialogue. **In simple terms:** Avoid personalizing disagreements; focus on issues. Key Takeaway Separate people from positions in debates. Themes conflict resolution dialogue politics Mood thoughtful strategic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - political negotiations - team meetings - community forums Key Concepts identity argumentation psychology Questions to Reflect On - How can you keep discussions issue‑focused? - What strategies protect alliances across issues? A Different Perspective It may be difficult to ignore personal history in heated debates. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Arguing Personalities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arguing-personalities-860616/) [Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) [Person Ally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/person-ally-860617/) [Persons Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons-opposition-860614/) [Position Opposition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/position-opposition-860615/) ## Related quotes > [How funny it is that the most unlikely person sometimes becomes your ally.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/how-funny-it-is-that-the-most-unlikely-person-sometimes-becomes-your/) [Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/) > [“Many social justice or social activist movements have been rooted in a position. A position is usually against something. Any position will call up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lynne-twist/many-social-justice-or-social-activist-movements-have-been-rooted-in/) [Lynne Twist](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lynne-twist/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [In Tunisia, the so-called Yasmin revolution has led to the installation of a relatively moderate Islamic government. Whether or not that means democracy will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/in-tunisia-the-so-called-yasmin-revolution-has-led-to-the/) [Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/) > [There is no one force, no group, and no class that is the preserver of liberty. Liberty is preserved by those who are against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/there-is-no-one-force-no-group-and-no-class-that-is-the-preserver-of/) [James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/) > [Australians can trust me to get the job done. They can have the confidence that in the heart of the circumstances I will win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-gillard/australians-can-trust-me-to-get-the-job-done-they-can-have-the/) [Julia Gillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-gillard/) > [During the 2300 years since Plato, very little opposition has been registered to his ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/during-the-2300-years-since-plato-very-little-opposition-has-been/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [It won't take 40 years for opposition to same-sex marriage to dissipate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cheney/it-won-t-take-40-years-for-opposition-to-same-sex-marriage-to/) [Mary Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cheney/) > [I am sorry to upset my colleagues by saying we wasted four years in opposition, but if you do get so badly defeated as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/i-am-sorry-to-upset-my-colleagues-by-saying-we-wasted-four-years-in/) [Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/) > [ The real leadership of the opposition is never, ever gonna do anything but continue to ramp up efforts to stop \[Donald\] Trump or destroy… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-real-leadership-of-the-opposition-is-never-ever-gonna-do-anything/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) ## More by Elouise Bell > [“Beware the impulse to divide opposing camps into Column A and Column B—the good guys and the bad guys. Usually any given political or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elouise-bell/beware-the-impulse-to-divide-opposing-camps-into-column-a-and-column/) [Elouise Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elouise-bell/) > [“You are entitled to your own opinion, but this is what I believe' (implying, 'And I don’t intend to change'). What could be fairer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elouise-bell/you-are-entitled-to-your-own-opinion-but-this-is-what-i-believe/) [Elouise Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elouise-bell/) > [“The scripture is found in 2 Nephi 2:11. Father Lehi says to his son Jacob: ‘For it needs be, that there is an opposition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elouise-bell/the-scripture-is-found-in-2-nephi-2-11-father-lehi-says-to-his-son/) [Elouise Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elouise-bell/) > [“It is understandably easy but unequivocally dangerous to move from viewing Satan as the opposition to viewing any mortal opposition as satanic. To put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elouise-bell/it-is-understandably-easy-but-unequivocally-dangerous-to-move-from/) [Elouise Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elouise-bell/) [Explore all 5 Elouise Bell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elouise-bell/) ## More Opposition quotes > [Getting on the cover of TIME guarantees the existence of opposition in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/getting-on-the-cover-of-time-guarantees-the-existence-of-opposition/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [In dialogue, there is opposition, yes, but no head-on collision. Smashing heads does not open minds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deborah-tannen/in-dialogue-there-is-opposition-yes-but-no-head-on-collision-smashing/) [Deborah Tannen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deborah-tannen/) > [Perhaps our own opposition to even the level of European integration we have now, let alone any more, is well known.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nigel-farage/perhaps-our-own-opposition-to-even-the-level-of-european-integration/) [Nigel Farage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nigel-farage/) > [Turn over the pages of history and read the damning record of the church's opposition to every advance in every field of science. . . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/upton-sinclair/turn-over-the-pages-of-history-and-read-the-damning-record-of-the/) [Upton Sinclair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/upton-sinclair/) > [Some of the folks on both sides might be sincere, but it does seem as if it is only the opposition that cares about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-bovard/some-of-the-folks-on-both-sides-might-be-sincere-but-it-does-seem-as/) [James Bovard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-bovard/) > [ The real leadership of the opposition is never, ever gonna do anything but continue to ramp up efforts to stop \[Donald\] Trump or destroy… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/the-real-leadership-of-the-opposition-is-never-ever-gonna-do-anything/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [I am sorry to upset my colleagues by saying we wasted four years in opposition, but if you do get so badly defeated as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-clarke/i-am-sorry-to-upset-my-colleagues-by-saying-we-wasted-four-years-in/) [Kenneth Clarke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-clarke/) > [It won't take 40 years for opposition to same-sex marriage to dissipate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-cheney/it-won-t-take-40-years-for-opposition-to-same-sex-marriage-to/) [Mary Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-cheney/) > [During the 2300 years since Plato, very little opposition has been registered to his ideas.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/during-the-2300-years-since-plato-very-little-opposition-has-been/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [Australians can trust me to get the job done. They can have the confidence that in the heart of the circumstances I will win…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-gillard/australians-can-trust-me-to-get-the-job-done-they-can-have-the/) [Julia Gillard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-gillard/) > [There is no one force, no group, and no class that is the preserver of liberty. Liberty is preserved by those who are against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-burnham/there-is-no-one-force-no-group-and-no-class-that-is-the-preserver-of/) [James Burnham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-burnham/) > [In Tunisia, the so-called Yasmin revolution has led to the installation of a relatively moderate Islamic government. Whether or not that means democracy will,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-van-creveld/in-tunisia-the-so-called-yasmin-revolution-has-led-to-the/) [Martin Van Creveld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-van-creveld/) > [Don't you understand anything? Isn't it absolutely essential to keep a fierce Left and a fierce Right, both on their toes and each terrified…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/don-t-you-understand-anything-isn-t-it-absolutely-essential-to-keep-a/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [The media is tremendously important for all governments that are able to communicate through the it. It doesn't mean there is a balance of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-harper/the-media-is-tremendously-important-for-all-governments-that-are-able/) [Stephen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-harper/) > [I always say that the largest party in every country - the largest opposition group in every country - is the youth party.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jared-cohen/i-always-say-that-the-largest-party-in-every-country-the-largest/) [Jared Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jared-cohen/) [Browse all 1,349 Opposition quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposition/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“Beware making a person, rather than a position, the opposition. If we do that we run the risk of losing that person as an ally on another issue about which we both agree. 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