---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Even rocks erode under the smooth flow of…"
description: "\"“Even rocks erode under the smooth flow of water. The strongest of wills give in to the doubtful whispers of friends and hidden enemies.”\" — M.B. Watson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/m-b-watson-32166_friendship_even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-o_1783323.jpg"
---

#  Even rocks erode under the smooth flow of water. The…

![“Even rocks erode under the smooth flow of water. The strongest of wills give in to the doubtful whispers of friends and hidden enemies.” quote by M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/m-b-watson-32166_friendship_even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-o_1783323.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/m-b-watson-32166_friendship_even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-o_1783323.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/m-b-watson-32166_friendship_even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-o_1783323.jpg)

> ““Even rocks erode under the smooth flow of water. The strongest of wills give in to the doubtful whispers of friends and hidden enemies.””

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

## About This Quote

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

Even the strongest will can be eroded by subtle pressures from friends or hidden foes.

**In simple terms:** Strong wills can be worn down by whispers.

Key Takeaway

Guard your resolve against subtle influences.

Themes

willpower influence friendship adversity

Mood

cautionary analytical thoughtful

Type

self-help psychology

When to use this quote

- negotiations
- personal relationships
- career decisions
- stress management

Key Concepts

psychology social dynamics resilience

Questions to Reflect On

- Who influences you positively?
- How do you detect harmful whispers?

A Different Perspective

Not all whispers are harmful; some offer needed counsel.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Flow Of Water](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flow-of-water/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/)

## Related quotes

> [“Unfortunately, violence has a way of overpowering even the strongest of wills”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-eade/unfortunately-violence-has-a-way-of-overpowering-even-the-strongest/)

[Kenneth Eade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-eade/)

> [“Among those ways and thoughts of God, then, is the principle of accommodation. God works within human limitations - both individual and corporate -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-g-stackhouse-jr/among-those-ways-and-thoughts-of-god-then-is-the-principle-of/)

[John G. Stackhouse Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-g-stackhouse-jr/)

> [“Consciousness is the product of electrochemical signalling in the neurons of your brain. So when the brain stops functioning fully, your consciousness, or to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/consciousness-is-the-product-of-electrochemical-signalling-in-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [Polarity, or action and reaction, we meet in every part of nature; in darkness and light; in heat and cold; in the ebb and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/polarity-or-action-and-reaction-we-meet-in-every-part-of-nature-in/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [Only by working within the laws that govern the flow of water will happiness be achieved.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/only-by-working-within-the-laws-that-govern-the-flow-of-water-will/)

[Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/)

> [“...he never so much as looks at me. He just sits there reading his old history books, that really gets me. I ought to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-divry/he-never-so-much-as-looks-at-me-he-just-sits-there-reading-his-old/)

[Sophie Divry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-divry/)

> [“He loved her. It was dead simple, the way he loved her. Seamless. His love was like a wall that he'd built around her,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mal-peet/he-loved-her-it-was-dead-simple-the-way-he-loved-her-seamless-his/)

[Mal Peet](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mal-peet/)

> [“I'd seen this happen several times before, in different institutions, but it was no less remarkable on each occasion: the words were like the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caleb-carr/i-d-seen-this-happen-several-times-before-in-different-institutions/)

[Caleb Carr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caleb-carr/)

> [“It all starts with the wolves. Wolves disappeared from Yellowstone, the world’s first national park, in the 1920s. When they left, the entire ecosystem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wohlleben/it-all-starts-with-the-wolves-wolves-disappeared-from-yellowstone-the/)

[Peter Wohlleben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wohlleben/)

> [“The words slid fluidly off my tongue, with only an occasional stammer. I could only attribute it to the sweep and flow of water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-monk-kidd/the-words-slid-fluidly-off-my-tongue-with-only-an-occasional-stammer/)

[Sue Monk Kidd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-monk-kidd/)

> [“Then there is Roman engineering: the Roman roads, aqueducts, the Colosseum. Warfare, alas, has always been beneficial to engineering. Yet there are unmistakeable trends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/petr-beckmann/then-there-is-roman-engineering-the-roman-roads-aqueducts-the/)

[Petr Beckmann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/petr-beckmann/)

> [When we talk of flood control, we usually think of dams and deeper river channels, to impound the waters or hurry their run-off. Yet…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-borland/when-we-talk-of-flood-control-we-usually-think-of-dams-and-deeper/)

[Hal Borland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-borland/)

> [“She cupped her hand, caught the gleaming flow of water and drank again. Royce did the same. She was right, he had never tasted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josie-litton/she-cupped-her-hand-caught-the-gleaming-flow-of-water-and-drank-again/)

[Josie Litton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josie-litton/)

> [“Make your decisions like a rock &amp; live your life like a flow of water”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arlin-sailesh-kapadia/make-your-decisions-like-a-rock-live-your-life-like-a-flow-of-water/)

[Arlin Sailesh Kapadia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arlin-sailesh-kapadia/)

> [ “Even brahmins \[people belonging to the caste who follow ritual practices\] will not delve in the past and yet these intellectuals keep remembering, ‘This… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/even-brahmins-people-belonging-to-the-caste-who-follow-ritual/)

[Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/)

## More by M.B. Watson

> [“You can be the most perfectly crafted key in the world; If the lock is flawed, the door won't open.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/you-can-be-the-most-perfectly-crafted-key-in-the-world-if-the-lock-is/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“Politicians give suits a bad name.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/politicians-give-suits-a-bad-name/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“I feel like I am poisoning myself with the truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/i-feel-like-i-am-poisoning-myself-with-the-truth/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“Through nature, philosophy has been explained throughout history. The sting of a scorpion or the bite of a spider can kill the strongest man.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/through-nature-philosophy-has-been-explained-throughout-history-the/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“Redefine your happiness and things that bothered you deeply will no longer matter. Things out of your reach will lose importance and those within…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/redefine-your-happiness-and-things-that-bothered-you-deeply-will-no/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“He sat at his television and thought he knew the world. The skies were purple in the daytime and red at night. The grass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/he-sat-at-his-television-and-thought-he-knew-the-world-the-skies-were/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“Many of the people I've met in my lifetime think small. They are the type who mop up the water spill but never get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/many-of-the-people-i-ve-met-in-my-lifetime-think-small-they-are-the/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“An aspiration can only go as far as the duration of time you are willing to suffer to see it through.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/an-aspiration-can-only-go-as-far-as-the-duration-of-time-you-are/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“Aggressive law enforcement is absolutely integral to authoritarianism. The way it is instituted in a free society is simple. The free man cheers on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/aggressive-law-enforcement-is-absolutely-integral-to-authoritarianism/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“It's weird. I've never seen those birds, but one of them was placed in my house and I'm fine. You know, if you're not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/it-s-weird-i-ve-never-seen-those-birds-but-one-of-them-was-placed-in/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“Fearing one enemy too much may lead you right into the arms of another.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/fearing-one-enemy-too-much-may-lead-you-right-into-the-arms-of-another/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“The changers. The movers. Those who stand behind civilization and push it forward. They do not seek to be accepted, even if their fight…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/the-changers-the-movers-those-who-stand-behind-civilization-and-push/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“The greatest gifts that you can give the world are your words, because whether good or bad, loving or hateful, they teach us more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/the-greatest-gifts-that-you-can-give-the-world-are-your-words-because/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“Aggressive law enforcement is absolutely integral to authoritarianism. The way it is instituted in a free society is simple. The free man cheers on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/aggressive-law-enforcement-is-absolutely-integral-to-authoritarianism-2/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

> [“The mechanics of our economy, once you understand them, are both shocking and tempting. Unchecked power has the the same effect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/the-mechanics-of-our-economy-once-you-understand-them-are-both/)

[M.B. Watson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

[Explore all 16 M.B. Watson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/)

## More Enemies quotes

> [“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

> [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/)

> [“If it takes night to make day, pain to know pleasure, black to make white, then doesn't it stand to reason that the depth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snyder/if-it-takes-night-to-make-day-pain-to-know-pleasure-black-to-make/)

Michael Snyder

> [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/)

[Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/)

> [Your greatest weapon is your enemies mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/your-greatest-weapon-is-your-enemies-mind/)

[Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/)

> [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/)

[Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/)

> [Sometimes even paranoids have enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delmore-schwartz/sometimes-even-paranoids-have-enemies/)

[Delmore Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delmore-schwartz/)

> [When a husband brings his wife flowers for no reason, there's a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-mcgee/when-a-husband-brings-his-wife-flowers-for-no-reason-there-s-a-reason/)

Molly McGee

> [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/)

[Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/)

> [“Anyone who is portraying Israel as a friend is a servant of Israel. I warn some sides against turning enemies into friends and friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/anyone-who-is-portraying-israel-as-a-friend-is-a-servant-of-israel-i/)

[Sayed Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/)

> [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/)

[Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/)

> [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/)

[Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/)

> [I play basketball hard-nosed and if you're not on my team, during that 48 minutes we're enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-play-basketball-hard-nosed-and-if-you-re-not-on-my-team-during-that/)

[Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/)

> [“Enemies are people who's story you haven't heard, or who's face you haven't seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-butter/enemies-are-people-who-s-story-you-haven-t-heard-or-who-s-face-you/)

Irene Butter

> [A sweet thing, perspective - a chance to see your enemies so small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/a-sweet-thing-perspective-a-chance-to-see-your-enemies-so-small/)

[Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/)

[Browse all 1,888 Enemies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Even rocks erode under the smooth flow of water. The strongest of wills give in to the doubtful whispers of friends and hidden enemies.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "M.B. Watson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-of-water-the-strongest-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enemies"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-of-water-the-strongest-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/m-b-watson-32166_friendship_even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-o_1783323.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/m-b-watson-32166_friendship_even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-o_1783323.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/02b/m-b-watson-32166_friendship_even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-o_1783323.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Even rocks erode under the smooth flow of water. The strongest of wills give in to the doubtful whispers of…” — M.B. Watson",
                "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": "M.B. Watson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-b-watson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Even rocks erode under the smooth...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-of-water-the-strongest-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-b-watson/even-rocks-erode-under-the-smooth-flow-of-water-the-strongest-of/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
