--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The enemy is anybody who's going to get…" description: "\"The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.\" — Joseph Heller" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/joseph-heller-601_enemy_the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get_22513.png" --- # The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no… ![“The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.” quote by Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/joseph-heller-601_enemy_the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get_22513.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/joseph-heller-601_enemy_the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get_22513.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/joseph-heller-601_enemy_the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get_22513.png) > “The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.” [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. It warns that any adversary, regardless of allegiance, poses a lethal threat, emphasizing universal vigilance. **In simple terms:** All threats are deadly, regardless of side. Key Takeaway Beware every opponent. Themes danger trust conflict survival paranoia Mood cautious tense alert Type warning philosophical When to use this quote - combat zones - political intrigue - competitive business - personal safety Key Concepts enemy identification moral ambiguity risk assessment Practical Applications - risk management training - security briefings Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between friend and foe? - What criteria determine a lethal threat? A Different Perspective Not all threats are equally dangerous; some may be allies in disguise. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ## Related quotes > [“Speculation is the worst enemy that anybody could have as a companion.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/usman-aman/speculation-is-the-worst-enemy-that-anybody-could-have-as-a-companion/) [Usman Aman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/usman-aman/) > [“You're going to get us killed." "Well, since you got us kidnapped in the first place, I think it's only fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-young/you-re-going-to-get-us-killed-well-since-you-got-us-kidnapped-in-the/) [Samantha Young](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-young/) > [Someone's killed 100,000 people. We're almost going, "Well done! You killed 100,000 people? You must get up very early in the morning! I can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/someone-s-killed-100-000-people-we-re-almost-going-well-done-you/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [Oh my God. What in—” I was going to be killed by two generations of beautiful women. While naked. “Mom,” Isabel snapped, interrupting. “Do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maggie-stiefvater/oh-my-god-what-in-i-was-going-to-be-killed-by-two-generations-of/) [Maggie Stiefvater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maggie-stiefvater/) > [“The enemy," retorted Yossarian with weighted precision, "is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/the-enemy-retorted-yossarian-with-weighted-precision-is-anybody-who-s/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Austin stared at me in shock. “You’re going to get us both killed.” “At least we’ll die pretty,” I told him with a smirk.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-o-guinn/austin-stared-at-me-in-shock-you-re-going-to-get-us-both-killed-at/) [Chris O'Guinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-o-guinn/) > [I thought I was going to be killed. The casualties were so heavy, it was just a given. I learned to take each day,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elliot-richardson/i-thought-i-was-going-to-be-killed-the-casualties-were-so-heavy-it/) [Elliot Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elliot-richardson/) > [“Fucking pro bono work. Going to get me killed one day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-estep/fucking-pro-bono-work-going-to-get-me-killed-one-day/) [Jennifer Estep](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-estep/) > [ \[The natural life\] knows that if the spiritual life gets hold of it, all its self-centredness and self-will are going to be killed and… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis/the-natural-life-knows-that-if-the-spiritual-life-gets-hold-of-it-all/) [C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis/) > [“In this place, upwards of 400,000 British men were going to be killed. They'd lost 20,000 just the other day. He sucked a grim…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cornell/in-this-place-upwards-of-400-000-british-men-were-going-to-be-killed/) [Paul Cornell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cornell/) > [It's crazy. I don't know how I'm not dead. People think I'm going to get punched in the face: "Something terrible is going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-eichner/it-s-crazy-i-don-t-know-how-i-m-not-dead-people-think-i-m-going-to/) [Billy Eichner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-eichner/) > [“One of these days my overconfidence is going to get me killed . . . but not today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryan-schardein/one-of-these-days-my-overconfidence-is-going-to-get-me-killed-but-not/) Bryan Schardein > [“Don't go!" Rycca said urgently. "It's a trap." Her husband looked down at her with amusement. "Of course it's a trap, sweetling.There are a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-litton/don-t-go-rycca-said-urgently-it-s-a-trap-her-husband-looked-down-at/) [Josie Litton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-litton/) > [If civilians are going to be killed, I would rather have them be their civilians than our civilians.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stuart-symington/if-civilians-are-going-to-be-killed-i-would-rather-have-them-be-their/) [Stuart Symington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stuart-symington/) > [“If you’re going to be killed you invent some kind of flag and country to fight for, and if you survive you get to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-buchan/if-you-re-going-to-be-killed-you-invent-some-kind-of-flag-and-country/) [John Buchan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-buchan/) ## More by Joseph Heller > [“Yossarian was moved very deeply by the absolute simplicity of this clause of Catch-22 and let out a respectful whistle. "That's some catch, that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/yossarian-was-moved-very-deeply-by-the-absolute-simplicity-of-this/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [From men motivated by moral certitude, history teaches, no lasting good ever comes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/from-men-motivated-by-moral-certitude-history-teaches-no-lasting-good/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I’m cold,' Snowden said softly, 'I’m cold.' 'You’re going to be all right, kid,' Yossarian reassured him with a grin. 'You’re going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/i-m-cold-snowden-said-softly-i-m-cold-you-re-going-to-be-all-right/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“They think that they’re smart and that the rest of us are dumb.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/they-think-that-they-re-smart-and-that-the-rest-of-us-are-dumb/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“There was only one catch and that was Catch-22, which specified that a concern for one's safety in the face of dangers that were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/there-was-only-one-catch-and-that-was-catch-22-which-specified-that-a/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Captain Flume was obsessed with the idea that Chief White Halfoat would tiptoe up to his cot one night when he was sound asleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/captain-flume-was-obsessed-with-the-idea-that-chief-white-halfoat/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Depreciating motels, junked automobiles, and quick-food joints grow like amber waves of grain.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/depreciating-motels-junked-automobiles-and-quick-food-joints-grow/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“That was where he wanted to be if he had to be there at all, instead of hung out there in front like some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/that-was-where-he-wanted-to-be-if-he-had-to-be-there-at-all-instead/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [I had examined myself pretty thoroughly and discovered that I was unfit for military service.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/i-had-examined-myself-pretty-thoroughly-and-discovered-that-i-was/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“Yossarian was moved by such intense pity for his poverty that he wanted to smash his pale. sad, sickly face with his fist and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/yossarian-was-moved-by-such-intense-pity-for-his-poverty-that-he/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [You have deep-seated survival anxieties. And you don't like bigots, bullies, snobs or hypocrites. Subconsciously there are many people you hate." "Consciously, sir, consciously,"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/you-have-deep-seated-survival-anxieties-and-you-don-t-like-bigots/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“His specialty was alfalfa, and he made a good thing out of not growing any. The government paid him well for every bushel of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/his-specialty-was-alfalfa-and-he-made-a-good-thing-out-of-not-growing/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [Every writer I know has trouble writing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/every-writer-i-know-has-trouble-writing/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [“No such private nights of ecstasy or hushed-up drinking and sex orgies ever occurred. They might have occurred if either General Dreedle or General…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/no-such-private-nights-of-ecstasy-or-hushed-up-drinking-and-sex/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) > [The question is: what is a sane man to do in an insane society?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/the-question-is-what-is-a-sane-man-to-do-in-an-insane-society/) [Joseph Heller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) [Explore all 420 Joseph Heller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/) ## More Enemy quotes > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Fear is a man's worst enemy, but love is a man's most powerful weapon against anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-a-man-s-worst-enemy-but-love-is-a-man-s-most-powerful-weapon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [“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 > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [In this business, you find the enemy, then go after and destroy him. Everything else is rubbish!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/in-this-business-you-find-the-enemy-then-go-after-and-destroy-him/) [Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/) > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) [Browse all 7,981 Enemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Joseph Heller" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get-you-killed-no-matter-which/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get-you-killed-no-matter-which/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/joseph-heller-601_enemy_the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get_22513.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/joseph-heller-601_enemy_the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get_22513.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1e8/joseph-heller-601_enemy_the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get_22513.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The enemy is anybody who's going to get you killed, no matter which side he's on.” — Joseph Heller", "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": "Joseph Heller", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-heller/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The enemy is anybody who's going...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get-you-killed-no-matter-which/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-heller/the-enemy-is-anybody-who-s-going-to-get-you-killed-no-matter-which/#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 } } ] } ```