--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When my enemies stop hissing, I shall…" description: "\"When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping.\" — Maria Callas" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/maria-callas-13765_enemy_when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-kno_2807599.jpg" --- # When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping. ![“When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping.” quote by Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/maria-callas-13765_enemy_when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-kno_2807599.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/maria-callas-13765_enemy_when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-kno_2807599.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/maria-callas-13765_enemy_when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-kno_2807599.jpg) > “When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping.” [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. If opponents stop criticizing, it may signal that one's performance is declining and no longer threatening. **In simple terms:** Silence from enemies shows weakness. Key Takeaway Monitor feedback for signs of decline. Themes competition self-awareness performance Mood reflective strategic Type motivational cautionary When to use this quote - career - artistic performance - public life - personal growth Key Concepts psychology strategic awareness ego management Questions to Reflect On - How do you differentiate between loss of interest and genuine decline? - What strategies maintain relevance despite reduced criticism? A Different Perspective Silence could also mean loss of interest, not just weakness. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ## Related quotes > [The magic in that country was so thick and tenacious that it settled over the land like chalk-dust and over floors and shelves like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-mckinley/the-magic-in-that-country-was-so-thick-and-tenacious-that-it-settled/) [Robin McKinley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-mckinley/) > [Now stir the fire, and close the shutters fast, Let fall the curtains, wheel the sofa around, And while the bubbling and loud-hissing urn…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/now-stir-the-fire-and-close-the-shutters-fast-let-fall-the-curtains/) [William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/) > [Entrails. No hissing. This is the closest we will ever come to love. -Katniss Everdeen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunger-games/entrails-no-hissing-this-is-the-closest-we-will-ever-come-to-love/) [Hunger Games](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunger-games/) > [The guns of the big events rumble through our pages, but the tiny firecrackers are constantly hissing and popping there as well; it appears…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brendan-gill/the-guns-of-the-big-events-rumble-through-our-pages-but-the-tiny/) [Brendan Gill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brendan-gill/) > [Cat's are unpredictable. It is a fine line between the cure, inquisitive and innocent creature resting on our lap and the hissing, spitting and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/cat-s-are-unpredictable-it-is-a-fine-line-between-the-cure/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [When I started surfing, you'd hear this neat rumbling sound when you took off and go for the drop, and when the wave is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-dale/when-i-started-surfing-you-d-hear-this-neat-rumbling-sound-when-you/) [Dick Dale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-dale/) > [That eerie hissing you hear may well be the air beginning to seep out of the green energy bubble. The sound is similar to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-corcoran/that-eerie-hissing-you-hear-may-well-be-the-air-beginning-to-seep-out/) Terence Corcoran > [A Madagascar Hissing Roach chasing Jerry Lewis. That would be a really neat treat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-o-donoghue/a-madagascar-hissing-roach-chasing-jerry-lewis-that-would-be-a-really/) [Michael O'Donoghue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-o-donoghue/) > [The scream of the twelve-inch shrapnel is more penetrating than the hiss from a thousand Jewish newspaper vipers. Therefore let them go on with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-hitler/the-scream-of-the-twelve-inch-shrapnel-is-more-penetrating-than-the/) [Adolf Hitler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-hitler/) > [The angels are so enamored of the language that is spoken in heaven that they will not distort their lips with the hissing and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/the-angels-are-so-enamored-of-the-language-that-is-spoken-in-heaven/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [I take a few breaths to calm myself, step back, and lift Buttercup by the scruff of the neck. "I should've drowned you when…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/i-take-a-few-breaths-to-calm-myself-step-back-and-lift-buttercup-by/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [Tea - the cups that cheer but not inebriate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-cowper/tea-the-cups-that-cheer-but-not-inebriate/) [William Cowper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-cowper/) > [“And then I heard the most beautiful sound of my life. Somewhere nearby, a cat let out an angry, hissing scream.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/and-then-i-heard-the-most-beautiful-sound-of-my-life-somewhere-nearby/) [Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/) > [I discovered the wife's got asthma. Thank God - I thought she was hissing at me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/les-dawson/i-discovered-the-wife-s-got-asthma-thank-god-i-thought-she-was/) [Les Dawson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/les-dawson/) > [Solar bursts typically last from half a minute to a couple of minutes and often sound like a rapid hissing noise followed by a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honor-harger/solar-bursts-typically-last-from-half-a-minute-to-a-couple-of-minutes/) [Honor Harger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honor-harger/) ## More by Maria Callas > [It takes a little more time to get into the role, but not very much more. In making a record you don't have the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/it-takes-a-little-more-time-to-get-into-the-role-but-not-very-much/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I was always too mature for my age - and not very happy. I had no young friends. I wish I could go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-was-always-too-mature-for-my-age-and-not-very-happy-i-had-no-young/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Good teachers make the best of a pupil's means; great teachers foresee a pupil's ends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/good-teachers-make-the-best-of-a-pupil-s-means-great-teachers-foresee/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I admire Tebaldi's tone; it's beautiful - also some beautiful phrasing. Sometimes, I actually wish I had her voice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-admire-tebaldi-s-tone-it-s-beautiful-also-some-beautiful-phrasing/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I don't need the money, dear. I work for art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-don-t-need-the-money-dear-i-work-for-art/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [To me, the art of music is magnificent, and I cannot bear to see it treated in a shabby way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/to-me-the-art-of-music-is-magnificent-and-i-cannot-bear-to-see-it/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Don't talk to me about rules, dear. Wherever I stay I make the god dam rules.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/don-t-talk-to-me-about-rules-dear-wherever-i-stay-i-make-the-god-dam/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Some say I have a beautiful voice, some say I have not. It is a matter of opinion. All I can say, those who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/some-say-i-have-a-beautiful-voice-some-say-i-have-not-it-is-a-matter/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [Real friends are very special, but you have to be careful because sometimes you have a friend and you think they are made of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/real-friends-are-very-special-but-you-have-to-be-careful-because/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [On stage, I am in the dark.On stage, I am in the dark.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/on-stage-i-am-in-the-dark-on-stage-i-am-in-the-dark/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I will always be as difficult as necessary to achieve the best,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-will-always-be-as-difficult-as-necessary-to-achieve-the-best/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [That is the difference between good teachers and great teachers: good teachers make the best of a pupil's means; great teachers foresee a pupil's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/that-is-the-difference-between-good-teachers-and-great-teachers-good/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [First I lost weight, then I lost my voice, and now I've lost Onassis.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/first-i-lost-weight-then-i-lost-my-voice-and-now-i-ve-lost-onassis/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [I am not an angel and do not pretend to be. That is not one of my roles. But I am not the devil…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/i-am-not-an-angel-and-do-not-pretend-to-be-that-is-not-one-of-my/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) > [ What \[Tulio Serafin\] said that impressed me was: "When one wants to find a gesture, when you want to find how to act on… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/what-tulio-serafin-said-that-impressed-me-was-when-one-wants-to-find/) [Maria Callas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) [Explore all 49 Maria Callas quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/) ## 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": "When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Maria Callas" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-know-i-m-slipping/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-know-i-m-slipping/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/maria-callas-13765_enemy_when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-kno_2807599.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/maria-callas-13765_enemy_when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-kno_2807599.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/873/maria-callas-13765_enemy_when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-kno_2807599.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“When my enemies stop hissing, I shall know I'm slipping.” — Maria Callas", "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": "Maria Callas", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-callas/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "When my enemies stop hissing, I...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-know-i-m-slipping/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-callas/when-my-enemies-stop-hissing-i-shall-know-i-m-slipping/#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 } } ] } ```