--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The enemy of man is man, my brother." description: "\"“The enemy of man is man, my brother.”\" — Lew Wallace" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/lew-wallace-10516_brother_the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother-40678_406782.jpg" --- # The enemy of man is man, my brother. ![“The enemy of man is man, my brother.” quote by Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/lew-wallace-10516_brother_the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother-40678_406782.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/lew-wallace-10516_brother_the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother-40678_406782.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/lew-wallace-10516_brother_the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother-40678_406782.jpg) > ““The enemy of man is man, my brother.”” [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human conflict stems from rivalry among people, even siblings. **In simple terms:** Man is his own worst enemy. Key Takeaway Recognize and mitigate self‑destructive competition. Themes conflict human nature brotherhood Mood thoughtful serious Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - family disputes - workplace competition - political rivalry Key Concepts philosophy social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - What internal battles do you face? - How can cooperation replace rivalry? A Different Perspective Self‑conflict may be rooted in deeper issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Brother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) [Brotherhood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brotherhood/) [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man/) ## Related quotes > [“You know what they say. "One man's joke is another man's brother”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-leckman/you-know-what-they-say-one-man-s-joke-is-another-man-s-brother/) [Neil Leckman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-leckman/) > [What is man's chief enemy? Each man is his own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anacharsis-cloots/what-is-man-s-chief-enemy-each-man-is-his-own/) Anacharsis Cloots > [No man is your enemy, no man is your friend, every man is your teacher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel-shinn/no-man-is-your-enemy-no-man-is-your-friend-every-man-is-your-teacher/) [Florence Scovel Shinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-scovel-shinn/) > [No man is your friend, no man is your enemy, every man is your teacher. -NeSha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/no-man-is-your-friend-no-man-is-your-enemy-every-man-is-your-teacher/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“There is an old saying: "No man is your enemy, no man is your friend, every man is your teacher.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-scovel/there-is-an-old-saying-no-man-is-your-enemy-no-man-is-your-friend/) Florence Scovel > [The real enemy is the man who tries to mold the human spirit so that it will not dare to spread its wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-flexner/the-real-enemy-is-the-man-who-tries-to-mold-the-human-spirit-so-that/) [Abraham Flexner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-flexner/) > [A man without an enemy is a man without qualities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nkem/a-man-without-an-enemy-is-a-man-without-qualities/) Nkem > [To be a friend of the earth, you have to be an enemy of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-friend-of-the-earth-you-have-to-be-an-enemy-of-man/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“The worst enemy a man can ever have is the one who was once his best friend.’ Sita”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/the-worst-enemy-a-man-can-ever-have-is-the-one-who-was-once-his-best/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) > [“Night’s Watch takes no part, so no man’s our enemy.” "And no man’s our friend, she thought.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-r-r-martin/night-s-watch-takes-no-part-so-no-man-s-our-enemy-and-no-man-s-our/) [George R.R. Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-r-r-martin/) > [My enemy is not the man who wrongs me, but the man who means to wrong me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/democritus/my-enemy-is-not-the-man-who-wrongs-me-but-the-man-who-means-to-wrong/) [Democritus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/democritus/) > [“Man is not the enemy of man, but through the medium of a false system of Government.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/man-is-not-the-enemy-of-man-but-through-the-medium-of-a-false-system/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The true enemy of man is generalization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-true-enemy-of-man-is-generalization/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My soul is too glad and too great to be at heart the enemy of any man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/my-soul-is-too-glad-and-too-great-to-be-at-heart-the-enemy-of-any-man/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [“The worst enemy a man can ever have is the one who was once his best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amish-tripathi/the-worst-enemy-a-man-can-ever-have-is-the-one-who-was-once-his-best-2/) [Amish Tripathi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amish-tripathi/) ## More by Lew Wallace > [“Heaven may be won, not by the sword, not by human wisdom, but by Faith, Love, and Good Works.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/heaven-may-be-won-not-by-the-sword-not-by-human-wisdom-but-by-faith/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“It is neither wise nor honest to detract from beauty as a quality. There cannot be a refined soul insensible to its influence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/it-is-neither-wise-nor-honest-to-detract-from-beauty-as-a-quality/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“They are like men: if bold, the better of scolding; if timid, the better of praise and flattery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/they-are-like-men-if-bold-the-better-of-scolding-if-timid-the-better/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [I know what I should love to do - to build a study; to write, and to think of nothing else. I want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/i-know-what-i-should-love-to-do-to-build-a-study-to-write-and-to/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“From her love, O, reader!--her mother-love, which, if thou wilt observe well, hath this unlikeness to any other love: tender to the object, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/from-her-love-o-reader-her-mother-love-which-if-thou-wilt-observe/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“The most perfect life develops as a circle, and terminates in its beginning, making it impossible to say, This is the commencement, that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/the-most-perfect-life-develops-as-a-circle-and-terminates-in-its/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“For power, you know, is a fretful thing, and hath its wings always spread for flight.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/for-power-you-know-is-a-fretful-thing-and-hath-its-wings-always/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [There is no law by which to determine the superiority of nations; hence the vanity of the claim, and the idleness of disputes about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/there-is-no-law-by-which-to-determine-the-superiority-of-nations/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“Latin is an abomination!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/latin-is-an-abomination/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [What children we are, even the wisest! When God walks the earth, his steps are often centuries apart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/what-children-we-are-even-the-wisest-when-god-walks-the-earth-his/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“From the depths of the well I had discovered a light above, and yearned to go up and see what all it shone upon.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/from-the-depths-of-the-well-i-had-discovered-a-light-above-and/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“Father of all--God!--what we have here is of thee; take our thanks and bless us, that we may continue to do thy will.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/father-of-all-god-what-we-have-here-is-of-thee-take-our-thanks-and/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“I would have had to kill him, and Death, you know, keeps secrets better even than a guilty Roman.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/i-would-have-had-to-kill-him-and-death-you-know-keeps-secrets-better/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“He was angry; not as the irritable, from chafing of a trifle; nor was his anger like the fool's, pumped from the wells of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/he-was-angry-not-as-the-irritable-from-chafing-of-a-trifle-nor-was/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) > [“In every four there is one the slowest, and one the swiftest; and while the race is always to the slowest, the trouble is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/in-every-four-there-is-one-the-slowest-and-one-the-swiftest-and-while/) [Lew Wallace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) [Explore all 65 Lew Wallace quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/) ## More Brother quotes > [I was 3-years-old - to this day it is a vivid memory. My family and I were on a boat, catching fish. As one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joaquin-phoenix/i-was-3-years-old-to-this-day-it-is-a-vivid-memory-my-family-and-i/) [Joaquin Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joaquin-phoenix/) > [Whatever meaning 'Annie's Song' had for me on a personal level, there was also a larger context. It could just as easily have been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-denver/whatever-meaning-annie-s-song-had-for-me-on-a-personal-level-there/) [John Denver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-denver/) > [Luckily, the bullet that hit my chest never got to me. It was stopped by a silver case I got for my brother's wedding.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-doohan/luckily-the-bullet-that-hit-my-chest-never-got-to-me-it-was-stopped/) [James Doohan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-doohan/) > [“Yeah. You treat him like a son or a soldier, instead of like a brother. He wants you to like him and admire him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/faith-hunter/yeah-you-treat-him-like-a-son-or-a-soldier-instead-of-like-a-brother/) [Faith Hunter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/faith-hunter/) > [“Your relationship with your brother will be, in many ways, the most complex and bewildering of all the interpersonal connections you will form. An…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-currie-jr/your-relationship-with-your-brother-will-be-in-many-ways-the-most/) [Ron Currie Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-currie-jr/) > [If I had my brothers I think with just a little bit of the correct marketing, I'd like to be almost exclusively in small…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-bozzio/if-i-had-my-brothers-i-think-with-just-a-little-bit-of-the-correct/) [Terry Bozzio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-bozzio/) > [There's no publicist, no advertisements, and no one's pushing us. If people are buying our records, it's because big brothers and sisters or friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spencer-moody/there-s-no-publicist-no-advertisements-and-no-one-s-pushing-us-if/) Spencer Moody > [The only way to make sure that the Hand didn't get to you would have been to kill your brother. I could've done it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ilona-andrews/the-only-way-to-make-sure-that-the-hand-didn-t-get-to-you-would-have/) [Ilona Andrews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ilona-andrews/) > [“Your favorite son and brother, Shade. Like”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/victoria-aveyard/your-favorite-son-and-brother-shade-like/) [Victoria Aveyard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/victoria-aveyard/) > [Sister + brother = a lovely family](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sister-brother-a-lovely-family/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) > [Brothers and Sisters, I bid you beware Of giving your heart to a dog to tear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rudyard-kipling/brothers-and-sisters-i-bid-you-beware-of-giving-your-heart-to-a-dog/) [Rudyard Kipling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rudyard-kipling/) > [Like a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eugene-h-peterson/like-a-child-exploring-the-attic-of-an-old-house-on-a-rainy-day/) [Eugene H. Peterson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eugene-h-peterson/) > [Stephanie could see the greed seep into the watery eyes of her father’s other brother, a horrible little man called Fergus, as he nodded…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/derek-landy/stephanie-could-see-the-greed-seep-into-the-watery-eyes-of-her-father/) [Derek Landy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/derek-landy/) > [I worked in a barbershop. I used to make the waves in the brother's hair, you know? Like, Nat King Cole, Sugar Ray Robinson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-clinton/i-worked-in-a-barbershop-i-used-to-make-the-waves-in-the-brother-s/) [George Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-clinton/) [Browse all 7,453 Brother quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/brother/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The enemy of man is man, my brother.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Lew Wallace" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brother" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/lew-wallace-10516_brother_the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother-40678_406782.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/lew-wallace-10516_brother_the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother-40678_406782.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6cf/lew-wallace-10516_brother_the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother-40678_406782.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The enemy of man is man, my brother.” — Lew Wallace", "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": "Lew Wallace", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lew-wallace/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“The enemy of man is man,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lew-wallace/the-enemy-of-man-is-man-my-brother/#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 } } ] } ```