--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Adding to your list of enemies is never a…" description: "\"Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who do..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/peter-bergen-1880_enemies_adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never_300633.png" --- # Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy… ![“Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who don't precisely share its views has united every ethnic and religious group in Syria and Iraq against them.” quote by Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/peter-bergen-1880_enemies_adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never_300633.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/peter-bergen-1880_enemies_adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never_300633.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/peter-bergen-1880_enemies_adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never_300633.png) > “Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who don't precisely share its views has united every ethnic and religious group in Syria and Iraq against them.” [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Expanding enemies weakens you; ISIS' brutal targeting of diverse groups unified opposition against it. **In simple terms:** Making more enemies harms you; ISIS' attacks united many against it. Key Takeaway Avoid creating unnecessary enemies. Themes conflict unity strategy religion politics Mood determined hopeful cautious Type political strategic inspirational When to use this quote - political negotiations - community building - counter‑terrorism planning - interfaith dialogue Key Concepts enemy identification collective resistance sectarian dynamics Questions to Reflect On - How can groups unite without creating new antagonisms? - What strategies prevent escalation while confronting threats? A Different Perspective ISIS' tactics may also fuel further radicalization if not paired with reconciliation efforts. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Campaign Shia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/campaign-shia-2873119/) [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Isis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isis/) [Isis Ferocious](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/isis-ferocious-2873118/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Never](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/never/) [Sound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sound/) [Strategy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy/) [Strategy Isis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/strategy-isis-2873117/) [Your](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/your/) ## Related quotes > [The overall feckless strategy against ISIS in Syria and Iraq enabled the Islamist organization to expand its domain and drive out more religious minorities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hoekstra/the-overall-feckless-strategy-against-isis-in-syria-and-iraq-enabled/) [Pete Hoekstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hoekstra/) > [Mateen pledged allegiance to ISIS during his attack, the worst terror attack on American soil since 9/11.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/mateen-pledged-allegiance-to-isis-during-his-attack-the-worst-terror/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Nazis and the Khmer Rouge went to great lengths to hide their crimes against humanity. Instead, ISIS posts its many crimes on social…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-nazis-and-the-khmer-rouge-went-to-great-lengths-to-hide-their/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The less the ISIS 'caliphate' exists as a physical entity, the less the group can claim it is the 'Islamic State' that it purports…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-less-the-isis-caliphate-exists-as-a-physical-entity-the-less-the/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [If a parent knows that their kid is suddenly becoming infatuated with ISIS, they face a very difficult choice, which is, you know, do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/if-a-parent-knows-that-their-kid-is-suddenly-becoming-infatuated-with/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [ISIS may be a perversion of Islam, but Islamic it is, just as Christian beliefs about the sanctity of the unborn child explain why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-may-be-a-perversion-of-islam-but-islamic-it-is-just-as-christian/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [In late May 2016, an ISIS spokesman called for attacks in the West during the month of Ramadan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/in-late-may-2016-an-isis-spokesman-called-for-attacks-in-the-west/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [ISIS is even at war with its most natural ally, al Qaeda in Syria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/isis-is-even-at-war-with-its-most-natural-ally-al-qaeda-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Think of ISIS as a pathogen that preys on weak hosts in the Muslim world. 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Clearly, this is also total nonsense; he doesn't seem to have done…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/trump-has-claimed-he-knows-more-about-isis-than-america-s-leading/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [I'm going to be specific so you can render your verdict. Let's go to North Africa, she was the chief engineer of the disastrous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-christie/i-m-going-to-be-specific-so-you-can-render-your-verdict-let-s-go-to/) [Chris Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-christie/) > [“A refugee woman said that placing decapitated heads in a row has become “a trademark, trophy-style execution favored by ISIS militants.”35”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-sekulow/a-refugee-woman-said-that-placing-decapitated-heads-in-a-row-has/) [Jay Sekulow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-sekulow/) ## More by Peter Bergen > [So Pakistan is a country that I'm very fond of and have spent a lot of time, but it is a country where conspiracy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/so-pakistan-is-a-country-that-i-m-very-fond-of-and-have-spent-a-lot/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The deep problems that afflict the Middle East are not easy to fix, but they must be dealt with if we are not to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-deep-problems-that-afflict-the-middle-east-are-not-easy-to-fix/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [The dirty little secret of the intelligence world is that much of what you really need to know isn't exactly a secret anyway.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-dirty-little-secret-of-the-intelligence-world-is-that-much-of/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Abedi appears to be one of the many thousands of Western Muslims who have embraced militant Islam, often as a way of trying to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/abedi-appears-to-be-one-of-the-many-thousands-of-western-muslims-who/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Trump has claimed he knows more about ISIS than America's leading generals. 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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/) > [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/) > [“If it takes night to make day, pain to know pleasure, black to make white, then doesn't it stand to reason that the depth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-snyder/if-it-takes-night-to-make-day-pain-to-know-pleasure-black-to-make/) [Michael Snyder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-snyder/) > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) > [Your greatest weapon is your enemies mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddha/your-greatest-weapon-is-your-enemies-mind/) [Buddha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddha/) > [“THE UNFORGIVEN Tell me if you've ever had to deal with these kinds of people: The kind who take and don't give. The kind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/the-unforgiven-tell-me-if-you-ve-ever-had-to-deal-with-these-kinds-of/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Sometimes even paranoids have enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/delmore-schwartz/sometimes-even-paranoids-have-enemies/) [Delmore Schwartz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/delmore-schwartz/) > [When a husband brings his wife flowers for no reason, there's a reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-mcgee/when-a-husband-brings-his-wife-flowers-for-no-reason-there-s-a-reason/) [Molly McGee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/molly-mcgee/) > [You should never hate anyone, even your worst enemies. Everyone has something good about them. You have to find the redeeming quality and love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeannette-walls/you-should-never-hate-anyone-even-your-worst-enemies-everyone-has/) [Jeannette Walls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeannette-walls/) > [“Anyone who is portraying Israel as a friend is a servant of Israel. I warn some sides against turning enemies into friends and friends…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/anyone-who-is-portraying-israel-as-a-friend-is-a-servant-of-israel-i/) [Sayed Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sayed-hassan-nasrallah/) > [No accurate thinker will judge another person by that which the other person's enemies say about him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/napoleon-hill/no-accurate-thinker-will-judge-another-person-by-that-which-the-other/) [Napoleon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/napoleon-hill/) > [Whoever will not love his enemies cannot know the Lord and the sweetness of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit teaches us to love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/silouan-the-athonite/whoever-will-not-love-his-enemies-cannot-know-the-lord-and-the/) [Silouan the Athonite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/silouan-the-athonite/) > [I play basketball hard-nosed and if you're not on my team, during that 48 minutes we're enemies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-barnes/i-play-basketball-hard-nosed-and-if-you-re-not-on-my-team-during-that/) [Matt Barnes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-barnes/) > [“Enemies are people who's story you haven't heard, or who's face you haven't seen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irene-butter/enemies-are-people-who-s-story-you-haven-t-heard-or-who-s-face-you/) [Irene Butter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irene-butter/) > [A sweet thing, perspective - a chance to see your enemies so small.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/a-sweet-thing-perspective-a-chance-to-see-your-enemies-so-small/) [Stanislaw Jerzy Lec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanislaw-jerzy-lec/) [Browse all 1,888 Enemies quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia, Kurds, Yazidis, Christians, and Muslims who don't precisely share its views has united every ethnic and religious group in Syria and Iraq against them.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Peter Bergen" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never-a-sound-strategy-yet-isis/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never-a-sound-strategy-yet-isis/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/peter-bergen-1880_enemies_adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never_300633.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/peter-bergen-1880_enemies_adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never_300633.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0d4/peter-bergen-1880_enemies_adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never_300633.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Adding to your list of enemies is never a sound strategy, yet ISIS' ferocious campaign against the Shia…” — Peter Bergen", "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": "Peter Bergen", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Adding to your list of enemies...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never-a-sound-strategy-yet-isis/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/adding-to-your-list-of-enemies-is-never-a-sound-strategy-yet-isis/#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 } } ] } ```