--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who attempts to defend everything…" description: "\"“He who attempts to defend everything, defends nothing.”\" — Fredrick the Great" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/fredrick-the-great-238389_attempts_he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-def_2428839.jpg" --- # He who attempts to defend everything, defends nothing. ![“He who attempts to defend everything, defends nothing.” quote by Fredrick the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/fredrick-the-great-238389_attempts_he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-def_2428839.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/fredrick-the-great-238389_attempts_he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-def_2428839.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/fredrick-the-great-238389_attempts_he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-def_2428839.jpg) > ““He who attempts to defend everything, defends nothing.”” [Fredrick the Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrick-the-great/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Defending everything dilutes effort, resulting in no real protection for anything. **In simple terms:** Trying to protect all leads to protecting nothing. Key Takeaway Focus protection wisely. Themes strategy prioritization defense focus efficiency Mood cautionary thoughtful Type quote proverb When to use this quote - security planning - resource allocation - personal boundaries - project management - political policy Key Concepts military theory risk management philosophy Questions to Reflect On - What can you let go to protect what matters? - How do you set defensive priorities? A Different Perspective Over‑extension can cause vulnerability. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Attempts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempts/) [Attempts Defend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempts-defend-254539/) [Defend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend/) [Defend Defends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defend-defends-254540/) [Defends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defends/) ## Related quotes > [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/attempts-to-defend-amusement-parks-and-circuses-on-the-grounds-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Truth is treasurer.You have not to defend it.Truth always defends itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dranil-kr-sinha/truth-is-treasurer-you-have-not-to-defend-it-truth-always-defends/) [DrAnil Kr Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dranil-kr-sinha/) > [Man only honors what he conquers or defends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-goebbels/man-only-honors-what-he-conquers-or-defends/) [Joseph Goebbels](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-goebbels/) > [For me, what makes Liverpool special is that they are a team that works very well on the lines, very compact, in which everyone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bojan-krkic/for-me-what-makes-liverpool-special-is-that-they-are-a-team-that/) [Bojan Krkic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bojan-krkic/) > [No science ever defends its first principles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aristotle/no-science-ever-defends-its-first-principles/) [Aristotle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aristotle/) > [I'm not a person who defends myself very often. I kind of let my actions speak for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-brady/i-m-not-a-person-who-defends-myself-very-often-i-kind-of-let-my/) [Tom Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-brady/) > [I never seem to be able to sell my films correctly in the U.S. The U.S. defends itself on its own turf.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-ocelot/i-never-seem-to-be-able-to-sell-my-films-correctly-in-the-u-s-the-u-s/) [Michel Ocelot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-ocelot/) > [A true friend is one who upon seeing a fault gives you advice and defends you in your absence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/narenkumar/a-true-friend-is-one-who-upon-seeing-a-fault-gives-you-advice-and/) [Narenkumar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/narenkumar/) > [Exercise thy lasting youth defends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-gay/exercise-thy-lasting-youth-defends/) [John Gay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-gay/) > [Ecuador is a country which defends the right to life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafael-correa/ecuador-is-a-country-which-defends-the-right-to-life/) [Rafael Correa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafael-correa/) > [God loves and defends those with the least economic and social power, and so should we.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-keller/god-loves-and-defends-those-with-the-least-economic-and-social-power/) [Timothy Keller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-keller/) > [Republicans constantly claim to be the party that defends the Constitution. We have no legitimate right to that claim until we get right on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-mckinnon/republicans-constantly-claim-to-be-the-party-that-defends-the/) [Mark McKinnon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-mckinnon/) > [The length of this document defends it well against the risk of its being read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-length-of-this-document-defends-it-well-against-the-risk-of-its/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [Every nation makes decisions based on self-interest and defends them on the basis of morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/every-nation-makes-decisions-based-on-self-interest-and-defends-them/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [The World Trade Organization is an organization that defends trade interests. I think the problem is less that they exist. The problem is that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noreena-hertz/the-world-trade-organization-is-an-organization-that-defends-trade/) [Noreena Hertz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noreena-hertz/) ## More Attempts quotes > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [From these inconsiderable attempts, some idea may be formed with what success, should Fortune afford an opportunity, I am likely to treat matters of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giraldus-cambrensis/from-these-inconsiderable-attempts-some-idea-may-be-formed-with-what/) [Giraldus Cambrensis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giraldus-cambrensis/) > [Attempts to defend amusement parks and circuses on the grounds that they 'educate' people about animals should not be taken seriously. Such enterprises are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/attempts-to-defend-amusement-parks-and-circuses-on-the-grounds-that/) [Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/) > [Philosophy attempts, not to discover new truths about the world, but to gain a clear view of what we already know and believe about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-dummett/philosophy-attempts-not-to-discover-new-truths-about-the-world-but-to/) [Michael Dummett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-dummett/) > [“Some attempts are still making, but they are inconsiderable in comparison of what might be done if the whole body of Christians entered heartily…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-carey/some-attempts-are-still-making-but-they-are-inconsiderable-in/) [William Carey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-carey/) > [How dare you ignore me after I've made 0 attempts at talking to you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ramandeep-singh/how-dare-you-ignore-me-after-i-ve-made-0-attempts-at-talking-to-you/) [Ramandeep Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ramandeep-singh/) > [The thing has already taken form in my mind before I start it. The first attempts are absolutely unbearable. I say this because I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vincent-van-gogh/the-thing-has-already-taken-form-in-my-mind-before-i-start-it-the/) [Vincent Van Gogh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vincent-van-gogh/) > [Throughout my career, my family and I have fallen victim to inappropriate attempts to contact me by several unknown individuals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marvin-sapp/throughout-my-career-my-family-and-i-have-fallen-victim-to/) [Marvin Sapp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marvin-sapp/) > [Eudora Welty's 'A Curtain of Green' had an enormous effect on me. But my early attempts to graft stories from the Deep South onto…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-unsworth/eudora-welty-s-a-curtain-of-green-had-an-enormous-effect-on-me-but-my/) [Barry Unsworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-unsworth/) > [Poetry had great powers over me from my childhood, and today the poems live in my memory which I read at the age of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-taylor/poetry-had-great-powers-over-me-from-my-childhood-and-today-the-poems/) [Bayard Taylor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-taylor/) > [I think the idea of trying to demonize Governor Romney's going to backfire. Their attempts so far have failed pretty outstandingly and I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-forbes/i-think-the-idea-of-trying-to-demonize-governor-romney-s-going-to/) [Steve Forbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-forbes/) > [I made numerous attempts to find a way to do it all, to be a creative singer, songwriter, producer, and to be the mother,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anita-baker/i-made-numerous-attempts-to-find-a-way-to-do-it-all-to-be-a-creative/) [Anita Baker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anita-baker/) > [“How can I fix things if you keep dodging my attempts?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jodi-ellen-malpas/how-can-i-fix-things-if-you-keep-dodging-my-attempts/) [Jodi Ellen Malpas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jodi-ellen-malpas/) > [All attempts to coerce the living will of human beings into the service of something they do not want must fail](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/all-attempts-to-coerce-the-living-will-of-human-beings-into-the/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [...Attempts at imitation would put the emphasis where it didn't belong. The goal was to improve the lives of others, not oneself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-kidder/attempts-at-imitation-would-put-the-emphasis-where-it-didn-t-belong/) [Tracy Kidder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-kidder/) [Browse all 94 Attempts quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/attempts/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He who attempts to defend everything, defends nothing.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Fredrick the Great" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-the-great/he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-defends-nothing/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Attempts" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-the-great/he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-defends-nothing/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/fredrick-the-great-238389_attempts_he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-def_2428839.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/fredrick-the-great-238389_attempts_he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-def_2428839.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9fb/fredrick-the-great-238389_attempts_he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-def_2428839.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who attempts to defend everything, defends nothing.” — Fredrick the Great", "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": "Fredrick the Great", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fredrick-the-great/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“He who attempts to defend everything,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-the-great/he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-defends-nothing/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fredrick-the-great/he-who-attempts-to-defend-everything-defends-nothing/#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 } } ] } ```