--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is always disarming to treat with the…" description: "\"It is always disarming to treat with the enemy, so to speak.\" — Morley Safer" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/morley-safer-17896_disarming_it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the_2992774.png" --- # It is always disarming to treat with the enemy, so to speak. ![“It is always disarming to treat with the enemy, so to speak.” quote by Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/morley-safer-17896_disarming_it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the_2992774.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/morley-safer-17896_disarming_it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the_2992774.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/morley-safer-17896_disarming_it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the_2992774.png) > “It is always disarming to treat with the enemy, so to speak.” [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Treating the enemy disarms them by humanizing conflict and reducing hostility. **In simple terms:** Humanizing opponents reduces hostility. Key Takeaway Engage with opponents as humans. Themes conflict resolution empathy humanization Mood thoughtful calm Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - diplomacy - negotiations - personal conflicts Key Concepts psychology social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Can you find common humanity with an adversary? - What risks arise from engaging enemies? A Different Perspective May be ineffective if power imbalance is extreme. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ## Related quotes > [The Christian must treat his enemy as a brother, and requite his hostility with love. 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Make an enemy of everyone, speak to no one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-kafka/i-ll-shut-myself-off-from-everyone-to-the-point-of-insensibility-make/) [Franz Kafka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-kafka/) > [I am better than good, I can be a friend of the people treat me as an enemy, I can be a crying shoulders…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/no-voice/i-am-better-than-good-i-can-be-a-friend-of-the-people-treat-me-as-an/) NO VOICE > [To wrong those we hate is to add fuel to our hatred. Conversely, to treat an enemy with magnanimity is to blunt our hatred…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-hoffer/to-wrong-those-we-hate-is-to-add-fuel-to-our-hatred-conversely-to/) [Eric Hoffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-hoffer/) > [I leave for the guidance of other revolutionaries, who may tread the path which I have trod, this advice; never treat with the enemy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamonn-ceannt/i-leave-for-the-guidance-of-other-revolutionaries-who-may-tread-the/) Eamonn Ceannt > [The best way to treat a enemy is to love them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shanu/the-best-way-to-treat-a-enemy-is-to-love-them/) [Shanu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shanu/) > [It has always been my ideal in war to eliminate all feelings of hatred and to treat my enemy as an enemy only in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernst-junger/it-has-always-been-my-ideal-in-war-to-eliminate-all-feelings-of/) [Ernst Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernst-junger/) > [“In the New Testament our enemies are those who harbour hostility against us, not those against whom we cherish hostility, for Jesus refuses to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/in-the-new-testament-our-enemies-are-those-who-harbour-hostility/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [Let us look upon a crucified Christ, the remedy of all our miseries. His cross hath procured a crown, his passion hath expiated our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/let-us-look-upon-a-crucified-christ-the-remedy-of-all-our-miseries/) [Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/) > [“To govern more securely some Princes have disarmed their subjects...but by disarming, you at once give offence, since you show your subjects that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/to-govern-more-securely-some-princes-have-disarmed-their-subjects-but/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [If revenge is sweet, why does it leave such a bitter taste? In disarming Peter, Christ disarmed ever knight. Turn the other cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-elwell-hunt/if-revenge-is-sweet-why-does-it-leave-such-a-bitter-taste-in/) [Angela Elwell Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-elwell-hunt/) > [For an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/for-an-unarmed-man-may-be-attacked-with-greater-confidence-than-an/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-country-can-preserve-its-liberties-if-its-rulers-are-not-warned/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-disarm-only-those-who-are/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) ## More by Morley Safer > [You can never have enough garlic. With enough garlic, you can eat The New York Times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/you-can-never-have-enough-garlic-with-enough-garlic-you-can-eat-the/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [The Republicans learned well from Bill Clinton.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/the-republicans-learned-well-from-bill-clinton/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [Arrogance and snobbism live in adjoining rooms and use a common currency.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/arrogance-and-snobbism-live-in-adjoining-rooms-and-use-a-common/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [I am not in this business as a calling. I don't do what I do to right any wrongs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/i-am-not-in-this-business-as-a-calling-i-don-t-do-what-i-do-to-right/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [What has reality shows got to do with reality? It is beyond unreality; there is nothing real about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/what-has-reality-shows-got-to-do-with-reality-it-is-beyond-unreality/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [In his lifetime the great French impressionist painter Corot painted 2000 canvases. Of that number, 3000 are in the United States.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/in-his-lifetime-the-great-french-impressionist-painter-corot-painted/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [You can be a great president and be ridden with flaws. Of course we know that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/you-can-be-a-great-president-and-be-ridden-with-flaws-of-course-we/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [ \[The\] BBC was known as Auntie suggesting someone prudish and Victorian and that she still is on some days. On others she's a champagne-soaked… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/the-bbc-was-known-as-auntie-suggesting-someone-prudish-and-victorian/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [BBC Radio is not so much an art or industry as it is a way of life . . . a mirror that reflects…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/bbc-radio-is-not-so-much-an-art-or-industry-as-it-is-a-way-of-life-a/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [I think it has sullied his presidency. As brilliant a politician as Bill Clinton is, as magnetic a personality as he can be, there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/i-think-it-has-sullied-his-presidency-as-brilliant-a-politician-as/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [The helicopter is a fine way to travel, but it induces a view of the world that only God and CEOs share on a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/the-helicopter-is-a-fine-way-to-travel-but-it-induces-a-view-of-the/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [Who knows who will be on board? A couple of spies, for sure. At least one grand duke; a few beautiful woman, no doubt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/who-knows-who-will-be-on-board-a-couple-of-spies-for-sure-at-least/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [BBC Radio is a never-never land of broadcasting, a safe haven from commercial considerations, a honey pot for every scholar and every hare-brained nut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/bbc-radio-is-a-never-never-land-of-broadcasting-a-safe-haven-from/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [I did three tours in Vietnam. I guess a total of about almost two years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/i-did-three-tours-in-vietnam-i-guess-a-total-of-about-almost-two-years/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) > [Pilgrims who are looking for a cure are soon looking for a curio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/pilgrims-who-are-looking-for-a-cure-are-soon-looking-for-a-curio/) [Morley Safer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) [Explore all 36 Morley Safer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/) ## More Disarming quotes > [Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-disarm-only-those-who-are/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [What country can preserve its liberties if its rulers are not warned from time to time that their people preserve the spirit of resistance?…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/what-country-can-preserve-its-liberties-if-its-rulers-are-not-warned/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [For an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/for-an-unarmed-man-may-be-attacked-with-greater-confidence-than-an/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [If revenge is sweet, why does it leave such a bitter taste? In disarming Peter, Christ disarmed ever knight. Turn the other cheek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-elwell-hunt/if-revenge-is-sweet-why-does-it-leave-such-a-bitter-taste-in/) [Angela Elwell Hunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-elwell-hunt/) > [Let us look upon a crucified Christ, the remedy of all our miseries. His cross hath procured a crown, his passion hath expiated our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-charnock/let-us-look-upon-a-crucified-christ-the-remedy-of-all-our-miseries/) [Stephen Charnock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-charnock/) > [“To govern more securely some Princes have disarmed their subjects...but by disarming, you at once give offence, since you show your subjects that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niccolo-machiavelli/to-govern-more-securely-some-princes-have-disarmed-their-subjects-but/) [Niccolò Machiavelli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niccolo-machiavelli/) > [Laws that forbid the carrying of arms disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-disarm-only-those-who-are-2/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Women can never forgive me; they hate me, they feel that I am disarming them. I show them without their coquetry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edgar-degas/women-can-never-forgive-me-they-hate-me-they-feel-that-i-am-disarming/) [Edgar Degas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edgar-degas/) > [I've been very sensitive for a long time to the repeated pattern, during economic hard times or after a war, of the United States'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-m-gates/i-ve-been-very-sensitive-for-a-long-time-to-the-repeated-pattern/) [Robert M. Gates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-m-gates/) > [We are not for disarming people. When you have an epidemic it's a public health issue, a safety issue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-brady/we-are-not-for-disarming-people-when-you-have-an-epidemic-it-s-a/) [Sarah Brady](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-brady/) > [The laws that forbid the carrying of arms...disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes. Can it be supposed that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-beccaria/the-laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-disarm-only-those-who-are/) [Cesare Beccaria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-beccaria/) > [The best way to begin disarming is to begin-and the United States is ready to conclude firm agreements in these areas and to consider…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/the-best-way-to-begin-disarming-is-to-begin-and-the-united-states-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [Pragmatism ... reflects with almost disarming candor the spirit of the prevailing business culture, the very same attitude of 'being practical' as counter to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-horkheimer/pragmatism-reflects-with-almost-disarming-candor-the-spirit-of-the/) [Max Horkheimer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-horkheimer/) > [Mornings are disarming you meet yourself frequently in original.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tasneem-hameed/mornings-are-disarming-you-meet-yourself-frequently-in-original/) [Tasneem Hameed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tasneem-hameed/) > [The time has come to end the deadly experiment of disarming peaceable, law-abiding citizens near schools.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-stockman/the-time-has-come-to-end-the-deadly-experiment-of-disarming-peaceable/) [Steve Stockman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-stockman/) Browse all 86 Disarming quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is always disarming to treat with the enemy, so to speak.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Morley Safer" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the-enemy-so-to-speak/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Disarming" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the-enemy-so-to-speak/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/morley-safer-17896_disarming_it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the_2992774.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/morley-safer-17896_disarming_it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the_2992774.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca6/morley-safer-17896_disarming_it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the_2992774.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is always disarming to treat with the enemy, so to speak.” — Morley Safer", "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": "Morley Safer", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morley-safer/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is always disarming to treat...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the-enemy-so-to-speak/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morley-safer/it-is-always-disarming-to-treat-with-the-enemy-so-to-speak/#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 } } ] } ```