--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Give the enemy an inch, he'll take a yard." description: "\"Give the enemy an inch, he'll take a yard.\" — Monica Crowley" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/monica-crowley-7194_enemy_give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard_1394763.jpg" --- # Give the enemy an inch, he'll take a yard. ![“Give the enemy an inch, he'll take a yard.” quote by Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/monica-crowley-7194_enemy_give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard_1394763.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/monica-crowley-7194_enemy_give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard_1394763.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/monica-crowley-7194_enemy_give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard_1394763.jpg) > “Give the enemy an inch, he'll take a yard.” [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Warning that small concessions to an adversary can lead to larger demands. **In simple terms:** Give a little, lose a lot. Key Takeaway Set firm boundaries to prevent escalation. Themes power dynamics negotiation conflict Mood cautious strategic Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - diplomacy - business deals - personal relationships - legal settlements Key Concepts strategic restraint boundary setting Questions to Reflect On - When is a small concession strategic? - How to balance firmness with flexibility? A Different Perspective Sometimes conceding can build trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Enemy Inch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy-inch-4871656/) [Give](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/give/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Inch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inch/) [Ll Yard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ll-yard-4871657/) [Take](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/take/) [Yard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/yard/) ## Related quotes > [Give the enemy an inch, hell take a yard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/give-the-enemy-an-inch-hell-take-a-yard/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [I'm usually a pretty intense person. Give me an inch, and I'm going to go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-plank/i-m-usually-a-pretty-intense-person-give-me-an-inch-and-i-m-going-to/) [Kevin Plank](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-plank/) > [Ali had a break that was an inch and a half long, and you keep getting hit as hard and as much as I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ken-norton/ali-had-a-break-that-was-an-inch-and-a-half-long-and-you-keep-getting/) [Ken Norton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ken-norton/) > [I am very, very old-fashioned and clumsy. I use those long reporter notebooks. This is what a troglodyte I am. The night before I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-quammen/i-am-very-very-old-fashioned-and-clumsy-i-use-those-long-reporter/) [David Quammen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-quammen/) > [That was a inch perfect pass to no one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-wilkins/that-was-a-inch-perfect-pass-to-no-one/) [Ray Wilkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-wilkins/) > [Four inch nails is more like it!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/courtney-love/four-inch-nails-is-more-like-it/) [Courtney Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/courtney-love/) > [Ageing is a blessing, and I feel every inch of 46.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susanna-reid/ageing-is-a-blessing-and-i-feel-every-inch-of-46/) [Susanna Reid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susanna-reid/) > [Give an inch, he'll take an mile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/give-an-inch-he-ll-take-an-mile/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proverb/) > [“Give a man an inch and he’ll call himself a ruler,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendy-wax/give-a-man-an-inch-and-he-ll-call-himself-a-ruler/) [Wendy Wax](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendy-wax/) > [I'm four minutes older. Of all the competitions in our life, I won the first one. Though Drew is a quarter inch taller.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-scott/i-m-four-minutes-older-of-all-the-competitions-in-our-life-i-won-the/) [Jonathan Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-scott/) > [I love James Taylor, Jeff Buckley, Elliott Smith and Nine Inch Nails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-wolff/i-love-james-taylor-jeff-buckley-elliott-smith-and-nine-inch-nails/) [Nat Wolff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-wolff/) > [It probably wasn't until Nine Inch Nails played the first Lollapalooza that I actually went to a festival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trent-reznor/it-probably-wasn-t-until-nine-inch-nails-played-the-first/) [Trent Reznor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trent-reznor/) > [I don't think I'm an entertainer. I never think, 'Wow, I can't wait to get the crowd moving.' Some of my favorite bands never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ric-ocasek/i-don-t-think-i-m-an-entertainer-i-never-think-wow-i-can-t-wait-to/) [Ric Ocasek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ric-ocasek/) > [A thousand painters ought to be killed yearly. Say what you like: I'm every inch a painter.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-cezanne/a-thousand-painters-ought-to-be-killed-yearly-say-what-you-like-i-m/) [Paul Cezanne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-cezanne/) > [“Give an inch, he'll take an ell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-hobbes/give-an-inch-he-ll-take-an-ell/) [Thomas Hobbes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-hobbes/) ## More by Monica Crowley > [Bill Clinton is a classic, old-school Southern pragmatic Democrat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/bill-clinton-is-a-classic-old-school-southern-pragmatic-democrat/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [Of course there are individual racists in America. Sadly that's true. And sadly that will always be true. It's true in this country, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/of-course-there-are-individual-racists-in-america-sadly-that-s-true/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [The man who was known as 'no drama Obama' during the campaign has given us nothing but depleting and infuriating drama since he arrived…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/the-man-who-was-known-as-no-drama-obama-during-the-campaign-has-given/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [The point of a presidential campaign is to put the candidate through the ringer: to force him to get banged up by his opponents…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/the-point-of-a-presidential-campaign-is-to-put-the-candidate-through/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [When you talk about presidents, loyalty is a great thing until it becomes a bad thing. Witness once again Watergate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/when-you-talk-about-presidents-loyalty-is-a-great-thing-until-it/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [I think the Republican Party is supposed to be the party of less government intrusion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/i-think-the-republican-party-is-supposed-to-be-the-party-of-less/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [True equality means holding everyone accountable in the same way, regardless of race, gender, faith, ethnicity - or political ideology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/true-equality-means-holding-everyone-accountable-in-the-same-way/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [When I'm debating others, whether it's Eleanor Clift or Bob Beckel, you're still in a fierce debate mode, but you're also on best behavior.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/when-i-m-debating-others-whether-it-s-eleanor-clift-or-bob-beckel-you/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [I think the American people believe in stopping and preventing terrorism pretty much at any cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/i-think-the-american-people-believe-in-stopping-and-preventing/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [Germany was beaten after World War I, but it didn't take long for it to rise again as a much more malignant threat. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/germany-was-beaten-after-world-war-i-but-it-didn-t-take-long-for-it/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [Oh absolutely. Look they hate all conservatives but they have a special kind of loathing for women conservatives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/oh-absolutely-look-they-hate-all-conservatives-but-they-have-a/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [We need the ability to buy healthcare insurance across state lines that would increase competition and drive down cost.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/we-need-the-ability-to-buy-healthcare-insurance-across-state-lines/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [It is an abuse of power, when you are President of the United States, to use the White House to single out a single…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/it-is-an-abuse-of-power-when-you-are-president-of-the-united-states/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [If the government controls your health care, the government controls you. Obamacare was never about health care. It was about government power, dependency, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/if-the-government-controls-your-health-care-the-government-controls/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) > [From 2002 to the end of his presidency, George W. Bush routinely was accused by the Left of 'creating chaos:' chaos in Iraq, chaos…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/from-2002-to-the-end-of-his-presidency-george-w-bush-routinely-was/) [Monica Crowley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) [Explore all 93 Monica Crowley quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Give the enemy an inch, he'll take a yard.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Monica Crowley" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/monica-crowley-7194_enemy_give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard_1394763.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/monica-crowley-7194_enemy_give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard_1394763.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/734/monica-crowley-7194_enemy_give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard_1394763.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Give the enemy an inch, he'll take a yard.” — Monica Crowley", "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": "Monica Crowley", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/monica-crowley/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Give the enemy an inch, he'll...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/monica-crowley/give-the-enemy-an-inch-he-ll-take-a-yard/#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 } } ] } ```