Enemy Quote by Naomi Alderman
““Iehuda allowed his mind to follow, across the map of the wide world, across the empires and kingdoms that fought and tried to rule and subdue each other. And he imagined what might happen if these words traveled from mouth to mouth, from mind to mind, from one city to the next to the next, if this simple message- love your enemy- were the accepted creed of all the world. He did not see how it could happen. "If one man went against it," he said at last, "the whole thing would be broken. In a world like that, a world of peace, a world of soft people with no knives, one man could destroy everything." "Then we cannot rest until every man has heard it. Think," said Yehoshuah softly, "what shall we use up our lives for? More war, like our fathers and their fathers, more of that? Or shall we use ourselves for a better purpose? Is this not worth your life?””
About This Quote
Source Novel: The Power, 2016
Imagining a world where love for enemies is universal, but fearing a single dissent could collapse peace.
In simple terms: A universal creed of love may be fragile.
Key Takeaway
Promote empathy, but guard against single points of failure.
Themes
peace
empathy
fragility
human nature
Mood
hopeful
cautious
Type
philosophical
inspirational
When to use this quote
- political activism
- education
- conflict resolution
- community building
Key Concepts
philosophical
ethical dilemma
Questions to Reflect On
- Can love truly replace conflict?
- What safeguards prevent one from undermining peace?
A Different Perspective
Idealism may overlook practical enforcement challenges.
![“Until we’re dead, we Service people, the world will always be in danger of another war. We had too good a time in the last one. We’ll none of us come out into the open and admit it. It might be better for us if we did. [...] For our generation, the war years were the best time of our lives, not…” quote by Nevil Shute](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/ee4/nevil-shute-16517_time_until-we-re-dead-we-service-people-the-w_262804.jpg)
![“The War is not don so long as my Enemy lives. [The war is not done so long as my enemy lives.]” quote by George Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d8b/george-herbert-107_done_the-war-is-not-don-so-long-as-my-enemy-l_2229635.jpg)
