---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We're not friends - in fact, we pretty…"
description: "\"We're not friends - in fact, we pretty much as a rule irritate each other. But we've learnt to embrace it and use it as a strength... the other guy's a..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/jamie-hyneman-3349_embrace_we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much_1206705.png"
---

#  We're not friends - in fact, we pretty much as a rule…

![“We're not friends - in fact, we pretty much as a rule irritate each other. But we've learnt to embrace it and use it as a strength... the other guy's always seeing something from the opposite pole.” quote by Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/jamie-hyneman-3349_embrace_we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much_1206705.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/jamie-hyneman-3349_embrace_we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much_1206705.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/jamie-hyneman-3349_embrace_we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much_1206705.png)

> “We're not friends - in fact, we pretty much as a rule irritate each other. But we've learnt to embrace it and use it as a strength... the other guy's always seeing something from the opposite pole.”

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Friends may irritate each other, but opposing perspectives can become a collaborative strength.

**In simple terms:** Opposites can be a strength.

Key Takeaway

Leverage differing views.

Themes

collaboration conflict growth

Mood

reflective optimistic

Type

strategic inspirational

When to use this quote

- team meetings
- research labs
- creative brainstorming
- negotiations
- leadership training

Key Concepts

cognitive diversity adversarial partnership problem solving

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you turn conflict into advantage?
- When is disagreement harmful?

A Different Perspective

Constant friction can hinder progress if not managed.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Embrace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite/) [Opposite Pole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/opposite-pole-2376167/) [Rule Irritate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rule-irritate-3641530/) [Seeing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing/) [Seeing Opposite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/seeing-opposite-2708085/) [Something](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/something/) [Strength](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strength/)

## Related quotes

> [“What surprises me most when surveying the great destinies of man is always seeing before me the opposite of what Darwin and his school…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/what-surprises-me-most-when-surveying-the-great-destinies-of-man-is/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [As the earth spins through space, a view from above the North Pole would encompass most of the wealth of the world - most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-commoner/as-the-earth-spins-through-space-a-view-from-above-the-north-pole/)

[Barry Commoner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-commoner/)

> [I fear that, with our current veneration for the natural and the real, we have arrived at the opposite pole to all idealism, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/i-fear-that-with-our-current-veneration-for-the-natural-and-the-real/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [For a traveler going from any place toward the north, that pole of the daily rotation gradually climbs higher, while the opposite pole drops…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicolaus-copernicus/for-a-traveler-going-from-any-place-toward-the-north-that-pole-of-the/)

[Nicolaus Copernicus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicolaus-copernicus/)

> [“The vision of life is not a "discovery"; it's a "work" and whatever position you occupy demands work. Your life may not be built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/the-vision-of-life-is-not-a-discovery-it-s-a-work-and-whatever/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [The western mantra is that Israel seeks negotiations without preconditions, while the Palestinians refuse. The opposite is more accurate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noam-chomsky/the-western-mantra-is-that-israel-seeks-negotiations-without/)

[Noam Chomsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noam-chomsky/)

> [A Horcrux is the complete opposite of a human being.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-horcrux-is-the-complete-opposite-of-a-human-being/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Although I'm perceived as very optimistic and upbeat, it comes out of being the opposite of that - feeling isolated or lonely, looking for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-mcgonigal/although-i-m-perceived-as-very-optimistic-and-upbeat-it-comes-out-of/)

[Jane McGonigal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-mcgonigal/)

> [Take the course opposite to custom and you will almost always do well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/take-the-course-opposite-to-custom-and-you-will-almost-always-do-well/)

[Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/)

> [Love and hate, despite their polar opposites, are both feelings that are induced by passion. I can handle that. It's the indifference I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-hoover/love-and-hate-despite-their-polar-opposites-are-both-feelings-that/)

[Colleen Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-hoover/)

> [“Failure is not the opposite of success—it’s a part of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-ritter/failure-is-not-the-opposite-of-success-it-s-a-part-of-it/)

[William Ritter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-ritter/)

> [Although I'd always wanted children, it was such an opposite thing to being a singer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gwen-stefani/although-i-d-always-wanted-children-it-was-such-an-opposite-thing-to/)

[Gwen Stefani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gwen-stefani/)

> [We began intercepting Japanese radio transmissions, which indicated the two forces were very close to each other. We found out later that we were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-adams/we-began-intercepting-japanese-radio-transmissions-which-indicated/)

[Jack Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-adams/)

> [What is the opposite of two? A lonely me, a lonely you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-is-the-opposite-of-two-a-lonely-me-a-lonely-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Dating someone on the opposite end of the happy spectrum teaches you an incredible amount of patience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-pine/dating-someone-on-the-opposite-end-of-the-happy-spectrum-teaches-you/)

[Chris Pine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-pine/)

## More by Jamie Hyneman

> [I really didn't think this was going to be a success. We did the first three episodes and I said to Adam, 'I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/i-really-didn-t-think-this-was-going-to-be-a-success-we-did-the-first/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [Neither Adam or I are scientists, we're not engineers or anything of the sort. We just have a lot of fun and the thing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/neither-adam-or-i-are-scientists-we-re-not-engineers-or-anything-of/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [If you build a robot, you're welding, machining sculpting, casting, dealing with electronics and hydraulics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/if-you-build-a-robot-you-re-welding-machining-sculpting-casting/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [If I had one word to describe how I feel at never having to work with co-host Adam Savage again it'd be relief.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/if-i-had-one-word-to-describe-how-i-feel-at-never-having-to-work-with/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [I pretty much just use my smartphone for phone calls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/i-pretty-much-just-use-my-smartphone-for-phone-calls/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [I mean, we're - if I may say so - we're experts at using materials and processes in ways for which they were never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/i-mean-we-re-if-i-may-say-so-we-re-experts-at-using-materials-and/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [You know, when you look carefully at stuff that you deal with everyday, applying a little creativity to it and thinking outside the box,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/you-know-when-you-look-carefully-at-stuff-that-you-deal-with-everyday/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [We got a lot of gay fan mail when the show first started. Something to do with being in San Francisco and being a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/we-got-a-lot-of-gay-fan-mail-when-the-show-first-started-something-to/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [I'm like a race horse attached to a freight wagon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/i-m-like-a-race-horse-attached-to-a-freight-wagon/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [Running out of material for 'MythBusters' is like saying, 'We've done everything we could possibly do and we're not curious or interested in anything.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/running-out-of-material-for-mythbusters-is-like-saying-we-ve-done/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [I don't think our death ray is working. I'm standing right in it, and I'm not dead yet.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/i-don-t-think-our-death-ray-is-working-i-m-standing-right-in-it-and-i/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [There are a lot of scientists or other people who can be very skeptical or rational within their field, but they may well not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/there-are-a-lot-of-scientists-or-other-people-who-can-be-very/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [As it turns out, one of the biggest choices we have doing the show is deciding the tangents we are allowed to take, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/as-it-turns-out-one-of-the-biggest-choices-we-have-doing-the-show-is/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [One of our neighbors is a salami distributor, and they pretty well - I mean, we used their salami to make a rocket engine…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/one-of-our-neighbors-is-a-salami-distributor-and-they-pretty-well-i/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

> [It's the results that are surprising, even results where we've totally screwed up, and then learned something in the process, are the ones that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/it-s-the-results-that-are-surprising-even-results-where-we-ve-totally/)

[Jamie Hyneman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

[Explore all 133 Jamie Hyneman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/)

## More Embrace quotes

> [I had to get to the point where I just had to embrace carrying the torch for the traditional girls out there. I love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamera-mowry/i-had-to-get-to-the-point-where-i-just-had-to-embrace-carrying-the/)

[Tamera Mowry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamera-mowry/)

> [I think the next 50 years are going to present the human race with challenges that so far exceed the limitations of geopolitical boundaries…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/zachary-quinto/i-think-the-next-50-years-are-going-to-present-the-human-race-with/)

[Zachary Quinto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/zachary-quinto/)

> [Strong brows is what I have, and I embrace them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-connelly/strong-brows-is-what-i-have-and-i-embrace-them/)

[Jennifer Connelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-connelly/)

> [Stop chasing the things you want and embrace all that you already have.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/stop-chasing-the-things-you-want-and-embrace-all-that-you-already-have/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“A man of power should embrace his Shadow, or if he cannot embrace it, at least accept it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-lampe/a-man-of-power-should-embrace-his-shadow-or-if-he-cannot-embrace-it/)

[Katherine Lampe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-lampe/)

> [“His hands on my waist he gently pulled me n embrace. I could feel his breath on my face our lips were about to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicole-eglinger/his-hands-on-my-waist-he-gently-pulled-me-n-embrace-i-could-feel-his/)

[Nicole Eglinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicole-eglinger/)

> [All of us take offense to anyone who reaps the rewards of living in America without taking on the responsibilities of living in America.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/all-of-us-take-offense-to-anyone-who-reaps-the-rewards-of-living-in/)

[Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/)

> [To re-embrace what I once loved about music has been a warming process for me, because it's a good, earned feeling now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-corgan/to-re-embrace-what-i-once-loved-about-music-has-been-a-warming/)

[Billy Corgan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-corgan/)

> [I've certainly seen a lot of my cartoonist friends embrace 'Little Lulu' in a much deeper way because their kids love it so much.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth/i-ve-certainly-seen-a-lot-of-my-cartoonist-friends-embrace-little/)

[Seth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth/)

> [Sometimes, Ms. Lane," he said, "one must break with one's past to embrace one's future. It is never an easy thing to do. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-marie-moning/sometimes-ms-lane-he-said-one-must-break-with-one-s-past-to-embrace/)

[Karen Marie Moning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-marie-moning/)

> [“Those who embrace prejudice doom themselves to live in ignorance.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-p-lintz-sr/those-who-embrace-prejudice-doom-themselves-to-live-in-ignorance/)

[John P Lintz Sr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-p-lintz-sr/)

> [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [Everything is a part of what God's up to in your life, so I think our job is to embrace it. Everything. Embrace it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-gaither/everything-is-a-part-of-what-god-s-up-to-in-your-life-so-i-think-our/)

[Gloria Gaither](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-gaither/)

> [At a time when painting itself often seems to be a threatened, even despised, form of artistic activity, Andrew Salgado emerges as a dazzlingly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-lucie-smith/at-a-time-when-painting-itself-often-seems-to-be-a-threatened-even/)

[Edward Lucie-Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-lucie-smith/)

> [You want to embrace, but I can't figure out how to hold on to it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-duritz/you-want-to-embrace-but-i-can-t-figure-out-how-to-hold-on-to-it/)

[Adam Duritz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-duritz/)

[Browse all 3,428 Embrace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/embrace/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "We're not friends - in fact, we pretty much as a rule irritate each other. But we've learnt to embrace it and use it as a strength... the other guy's always seeing something from the opposite pole.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jamie Hyneman"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much-as-a-rule-irritate-each/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Embrace"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much-as-a-rule-irritate-each/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/jamie-hyneman-3349_embrace_we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much_1206705.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/jamie-hyneman-3349_embrace_we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much_1206705.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3bc/jamie-hyneman-3349_embrace_we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much_1206705.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“We're not friends - in fact, we pretty much as a rule irritate each other. But we've learnt to embrace it…” — Jamie Hyneman",
                "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": "Jamie Hyneman",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hyneman/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "We're not friends - in fact,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much-as-a-rule-irritate-each/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hyneman/we-re-not-friends-in-fact-we-pretty-much-as-a-rule-irritate-each/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
