--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are no permanent alliances, only…" description: "\"There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests.\" — Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount_alliances_there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-pe_2846039.jpg" --- # There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests. ![“There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests.” quote by Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount_alliances_there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-pe_2846039.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount_alliances_there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-pe_2846039.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount_alliances_there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-pe_2846039.jpg) > “There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests.” [Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Alliances shift; enduring interests drive actions. **In simple terms:** Interests last longer than alliances. Key Takeaway Prioritize core interests over fleeting partnerships. Themes politics strategy alliances Mood skeptical analytical Type strategic cautionary When to use this quote - foreign policy - business negotiations - military coalitions Key Concepts realpolitik national interest Questions to Reflect On - What interests are truly permanent for you? - When should you break an alliance? A Different Perspective Overemphasis on interests can erode trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alliances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alliances/) [Interest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/interest/) ## Related quotes > [It is our policy to steer clear of permanent alliances with any portion of the foreign world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/it-is-our-policy-to-steer-clear-of-permanent-alliances-with-any/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [We have no permanent allies, only permanent interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/we-have-no-permanent-allies-only-permanent-interests/) [Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/) > [In trans-border relations, there are no permanent friends or permanent enemies or even permanent borders. There are only permanent interests and everything should be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/in-trans-border-relations-there-are-no-permanent-friends-or-permanent/) [Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/) > [There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, just permanent interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/there-are-no-permanent-friends-or-permanent-enemies-just-permanent/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [Why I can't stand this phrase about I don't have any permanent enemies, any permanent friends, only permanent interests. I can't stand that. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/why-i-can-t-stand-this-phrase-about-i-don-t-have-any-permanent/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“In Geo-Politics, a nation has no permanent allies or permanent enemies, only permanent interests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-friedman/in-geo-politics-a-nation-has-no-permanent-allies-or-permanent-enemies/) [George Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-friedman/) > [ \[U\]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/) > [The chief element in the art of statesmanship under modern conditions is the ability to elucidate the confused and clamorous interests which converge upon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-lippmann/the-chief-element-in-the-art-of-statesmanship-under-modern-conditions/) [Walter Lippmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-lippmann/) > [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/) > [I prayed for the first time in a very long time today. 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Our interests are eternal and perpetual, and those interests it is our duty…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/we-have-no-eternal-allies-and-we-have-not-perpetual-enemies-our/) [Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/) > [Dirt is not dirty, but only something in the wrong place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/dirt-is-not-dirty-but-only-something-in-the-wrong-place/) [Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/) > [We have no permanent allies, only permanent interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/we-have-no-permanent-allies-only-permanent-interests/) [Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/) > [Peace is an Excellent Thing, and War is a great Misfortune. But there are Many things More valuable than Peace, and many Things Much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/peace-is-an-excellent-thing-and-war-is-a-great-misfortune-but-there/) [Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/) > [The Schleswig-Holstein question is so complicated, only three men in Europe understood it. One was Prince Albert, who is dead. 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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": "There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-permanent-interests/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Alliances" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-permanent-interests/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount_alliances_there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-pe_2846039.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount_alliances_there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-pe_2846039.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/536/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount_alliances_there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-pe_2846039.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are no permanent alliances, only permanent interests.” — Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston", "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": "Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are no permanent alliances, only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-permanent-interests/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-john-temple-3rd-viscount-palmerston/there-are-no-permanent-alliances-only-permanent-interests/#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 } } ] } ```