---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Love thy enemies, it says in the…"
description: "\"Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster mother always added, \"At the very least, you will be polite to them.\" — Patricia Briggs"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/patricia-briggs-571_bible_love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptur_2811542.png"
---

#  Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster…

![“Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster mother always added, &quot;At the very least, you will be polite to them.” quote by Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/patricia-briggs-571_bible_love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptur_2811542.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/patricia-briggs-571_bible_love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptur_2811542.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/patricia-briggs-571_bible_love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptur_2811542.png)

> “Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster mother always added, "At the very least, you will be polite to them.”

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

## About This Quote

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

Encourages kindness toward enemies, suggesting basic courtesy as a moral baseline despite conflict.

**In simple terms:** Be polite even to enemies.

Key Takeaway

Practice basic respect regardless of disagreement.

Themes

ethics conflict compassion

Mood

calm thoughtful

Type

ethical advice

When to use this quote

- customer service
- political discourse
- personal interactions

Key Concepts

moral philosophy interpersonal relations social etiquette

Questions to Reflect On

- How can respect change conflict?
- When is courtesy insufficient?

A Different Perspective

Politeness may be seen as weakness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Bible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Foster Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/foster-mother/) [Mother](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mother/) [Polite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/polite/) [Scripture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/scripture/)

## Related quotes

> [“The Bible says we were God’s enemies, but never says God was our enemy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hidalgo/the-bible-says-we-were-god-s-enemies-but-never-says-god-was-our-enemy/)

[Michael Hidalgo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hidalgo/)

> [“Hard to love thy enemies before dismantle their weaponry.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/hard-to-love-thy-enemies-before-dismantle-their-weaponry/)

[Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/)

> [“Says so in the scriptures,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-cornwell/says-so-in-the-scriptures/)

[Bernard Cornwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bernard-cornwell/)

> [I believe what it says in the scriptures and in the Bhagavad Gita: 'Never was there a time when you did not exist, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-harrison/i-believe-what-it-says-in-the-scriptures-and-in-the-bhagavad-gita/)

[George Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-harrison/)

> [“Arise, slay thy enemies, enjoy a prosperous kingdom,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bhagavad-gita/arise-slay-thy-enemies-enjoy-a-prosperous-kingdom/)

[Bhagavad Gita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bhagavad-gita/)

> [My foster mother always laughed and said it was his reputation for knowing everything that allowed for him to appear infallible: all he had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/my-foster-mother-always-laughed-and-said-it-was-his-reputation-for/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [I wake up every day to the same old foster mother I ain't got no pictures of my mother She was a crack fiend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lil-mama/i-wake-up-every-day-to-the-same-old-foster-mother-i-ain-t-got-no/)

[Lil Mama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lil-mama/)

> [ Mable 'Madea' Simmons: \[Madea his Nikki with a belt\] Why wasn't you at school today? Nikki: I went to the park. Mable 'Madea' Simmons:… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madea/mable-madea-simmons-madea-his-nikki-with-a-belt-why-wasn-t-you-at/)

[Madea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madea/)

> [Spiritualism is but a baby now, an unwelcome stranger, whom public opinion, like an unnatural foster mother, tries to crush out of existence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-p-blavatsky/spiritualism-is-but-a-baby-now-an-unwelcome-stranger-whom-public/)

[H. P. Blavatsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-p-blavatsky/)

> [The pageant was such a fluke. I mean, I was living in an orphanage, and my foster mother bet me $150 to go out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-ayanna/the-pageant-was-such-a-fluke-i-mean-i-was-living-in-an-orphanage-and/)

Charlotte Ayanna

> [“One of the things Clovis had been most afraid of was being forced to ride. He had seen the horses in the stables, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-ibbotson/one-of-the-things-clovis-had-been-most-afraid-of-was-being-forced-to/)

[Eva Ibbotson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-ibbotson/)

> [“Bless those people, for they are a part of my faith’s firmness. Bless the stories my foster mother read to me, the stories of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-slater/bless-those-people-for-they-are-a-part-of-my-faith-s-firmness-bless/)

[Lauren Slater](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-slater/)

> [My foster mother wanted to create a family home. For me, she had made a place that I felt I could always go back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennie-james/my-foster-mother-wanted-to-create-a-family-home-for-me-she-had-made-a/)

[Lennie James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennie-james/)

> [Judge Ephriam: Bryan, does she watch your kids? Brian Simmons: Oh, she's actually really good, she's a big diciplinarian though, but uh... they have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madea/judge-ephriam-bryan-does-she-watch-your-kids-brian-simmons-oh-she-s/)

[Madea](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madea/)

> [From my foster parents, the Deans, I received the love that was ultimately to strengthen me, even when I had forgotten its source. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-dean-myers/from-my-foster-parents-the-deans-i-received-the-love-that-was/)

[Walter Dean Myers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-dean-myers/)

## More by Patricia Briggs

> [“His favorite saying was, 'Interdum feror cupidine partium magnarum europe vincendarum." "'Sometimes I have the urge to conquer large parts of Europe'?" Boyd said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/his-favorite-saying-was-interdum-feror-cupidine-partium-magnarum/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“I break things, a lot of things, but I don’t want one of them to be you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-break-things-a-lot-of-things-but-i-don-t-want-one-of-them-to-be-you/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [He was obviously dead. But since he was a vampire that wasn't as hopless a thing as it might have been.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/he-was-obviously-dead-but-since-he-was-a-vampire-that-wasn-t-as/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Stefan: "Indian with a dot, not a feather.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/stefan-indian-with-a-dot-not-a-feather/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“want to. Adam wasn’t angry. He wouldn’t hurt me. I let him pull the power of his pack over me like a warm”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/want-to-adam-wasn-t-angry-he-wouldn-t-hurt-me-i-let-him-pull-the/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“I promise I won't spank you," he told me, his voice rough and low as he added, "not unless you ask me to." I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-promise-i-won-t-spank-you-he-told-me-his-voice-rough-and-low-as-he/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Love is not necessary for sex.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/love-is-not-necessary-for-sex/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“I paused to pat the truck’s hood gently in apology when someone put his hand on my shoulder. I grabbed the hand and rotated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-paused-to-pat-the-truck-s-hood-gently-in-apology-when-someone-put/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [In this dream, I wasn’t a coyote shapeshifter trying to hold a werewolf, I was Coyote’s almost daughter, and I had all the strength…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/in-this-dream-i-wasn-t-a-coyote-shapeshifter-trying-to-hold-a/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“She hit us,” the woman shrieked. That was the gist of it anyway. There were a lot of unladylike words that began with “F,”…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/she-hit-us-the-woman-shrieked-that-was-the-gist-of-it-anyway-there/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Charles was most comfortable by himself or, if that wasn't possible, with his pack in the wild. Talking for hours in a crowded auditorium…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/charles-was-most-comfortable-by-himself-or-if-that-wasn-t-possible/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [Evil must always be fought.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/evil-must-always-be-fought/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [“Beauclaire, for his part, sank back in the soft material of the couch as if the thought that it would impede him should he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/beauclaire-for-his-part-sank-back-in-the-soft-material-of-the-couch/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [What do you mean?” Leslie’s voice was cool, as if she questioned witches who were flat on their backs being threatened by werewolves every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/what-do-you-mean-leslie-s-voice-was-cool-as-if-she-questioned-witches/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

> [I am not attempting to preserve culture, or record actual events or stories. Instead I bow my head in gratitude to those storytellers who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/i-am-not-attempting-to-preserve-culture-or-record-actual-events-or/)

[Patricia Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

[Explore all 467 Patricia Briggs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/)

## More Bible quotes

> [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/)

[Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/)

> [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/)

[Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/)

> [“God hates Hell. He hates the idea of people going there. He hates it so much that He was willing to take on human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evan-minton/god-hates-hell-he-hates-the-idea-of-people-going-there-he-hates-it-so/)

[Evan Minton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evan-minton/)

> [“The Devil can cite Scripture for his purpose, Sergeant,’ Anthony Payne replied. ‘That is from The Merchant of Venice, but it holds great truth.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-arnold/the-devil-can-cite-scripture-for-his-purpose-sergeant-anthony-payne/)

Michael Arnold

> [When you put your hand on the Bible, you are saying something much stronger than just telling your peers that you're going to tell…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-greenwood/when-you-put-your-hand-on-the-bible-you-are-saying-something-much/)

[Lee Greenwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-greenwood/)

> [“Scripture also teaches that human beings are morally responsible creatures”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-peterson/scripture-also-teaches-that-human-beings-are-morally-responsible/)

Robert A. Peterson

> [“The wife of a junior officer cooped up in a horrible canvas partition in steerage for five months wrote: "I had enjoyed much peace…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-taylor/the-wife-of-a-junior-officer-cooped-up-in-a-horrible-canvas-partition/)

Stephen Taylor

> [O Word of God incarnate . . . It is the golden casket Where gems of truth are stored; It is the heaven-drawn picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walsham-how/o-word-of-god-incarnate-it-is-the-golden-casket-where-gems-of-truth/)

Walsham How

> [How can I trust that the Bible is reliable?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-horton/how-can-i-trust-that-the-bible-is-reliable/)

[Michael Horton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-horton/)

> [Every plant which my heavenly father has not planted with be uprooted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesus-christ/every-plant-which-my-heavenly-father-has-not-planted-with-be-uprooted/)

[Jesus Christ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesus-christ/)

> [Where I come from you're not raised to think on your own. It's not that you're pushed to read the Bible. The Bible is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abel-ferrara/where-i-come-from-you-re-not-raised-to-think-on-your-own-it-s-not/)

[Abel Ferrara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abel-ferrara/)

> [“I felt like praying or something, when I was in bed, but I couldn't do it. I can't always pray when I feel like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-d-salinger/i-felt-like-praying-or-something-when-i-was-in-bed-but-i-couldn-t-do/)

[J.D. Salinger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-d-salinger/)

> [What comes to mind when you think of heaven? Heaven is referred to in fifty-four of the Bible's sixty-six books, and the final two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-jeremiah/what-comes-to-mind-when-you-think-of-heaven-heaven-is-referred-to-in/)

[David Jeremiah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-jeremiah/)

> [“While it is in one sense a result of God’s presence within us, the New Testament also describes a process involved in our “putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dallas-willard/while-it-is-in-one-sense-a-result-of-god-s-presence-within-us-the-new/)

[Dallas Willard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dallas-willard/)

> [The definition of a Church is crystal clear in the New Testament. We see the picture of it. They came together the first day…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-macarthur/the-definition-of-a-church-is-crystal-clear-in-the-new-testament-we/)

[John MacArthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-macarthur/)

[Browse all 8,465 Bible quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bible/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster mother always added, \"At the very least, you will be polite to them.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Patricia Briggs"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptures-my-foster-mother-always/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Bible"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptures-my-foster-mother-always/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/patricia-briggs-571_bible_love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptur_2811542.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/patricia-briggs-571_bible_love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptur_2811542.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9e2/patricia-briggs-571_bible_love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptur_2811542.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Love thy enemies, it says in the scriptures. My foster mother always added, \"At the very least, you will be…” — Patricia Briggs",
                "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": "Patricia Briggs",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-briggs/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Love thy enemies, it says in...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptures-my-foster-mother-always/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-briggs/love-thy-enemies-it-says-in-the-scriptures-my-foster-mother-always/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
