--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The Quakers have a saying: \"An enemy is…" description: "\"The Quakers have a saying: \"An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.\" To communicate to post-Christians, I must first listen to their stories for..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/philip-yancey-840_christian_the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-on_745673.png" --- # The Quakers have a saying: "An enemy is one whose story we… ![“The Quakers have a saying: "An enemy is one whose story we have not heard." To communicate to post-Christians, I must first listen to their stories for clues to how they view the world and how they view people like me.” quote by Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/philip-yancey-840_christian_the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-on_745673.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/philip-yancey-840_christian_the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-on_745673.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/philip-yancey-840_christian_the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-on_745673.png) > “The Quakers have a saying: "An enemy is one whose story we have not heard." To communicate to post-Christians, I must first listen to their stories for clues to how they view the world and how they view people like me.” [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Listening to others' narratives reveals hidden commonalities and reduces conflict. **In simple terms:** Understanding others' stories builds empathy. Key Takeaway Listen before judging. Themes empathy communication conflict resolution Mood thoughtful inquisitive Type reflective inspirational When to use this quote - interfaith dialogue - community building - personal relationships Key Concepts storytelling intercultural dialogue psychology Questions to Reflect On - What stories have you overlooked? - How can listening change your perspective? A Different Perspective Assuming stories are accurate may lead to misinterpretation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Christian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) [Christianity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christianity/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Quaker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quaker/) [Quakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quakers/) [Stories](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stories/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/) ## Related quotes > [“There's an old Jewish saying: An enemy is someone whose story you do not know. (22)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-lynn-pearson/there-s-an-old-jewish-saying-an-enemy-is-someone-whose-story-you-do/) [Carol Lynn Pearson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-lynn-pearson/) > [I am a Quaker. And as everyone knows, Quakers, for 300 years, have, on conscientious ground, been against participating in war. I was sentenced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bayard-rustin/i-am-a-quaker-and-as-everyone-knows-quakers-for-300-years-have-on/) [Bayard Rustin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bayard-rustin/) > [Quakers are known for wanting to give back. Ban the bomb and the civil rights movement and the native American struggle for justice -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bonnie-raitt/quakers-are-known-for-wanting-to-give-back-ban-the-bomb-and-the-civil/) [Bonnie Raitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bonnie-raitt/) > [As the Quakers say, "When you pray, move your feet."](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-butterworth/as-the-quakers-say-when-you-pray-move-your-feet/) [Eric Butterworth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-butterworth/) > [I'm really a timid person - I was beaten up by Quakers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/i-m-really-a-timid-person-i-was-beaten-up-by-quakers/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [So upright Quakers please both man and God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-pope/so-upright-quakers-please-both-man-and-god/) [Alexander Pope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-pope/) > [Our Quakers love us. We're big with the Quakers. It's all about cleanliness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kyan-douglas/our-quakers-love-us-we-re-big-with-the-quakers-it-s-all-about/) [Kyan Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kyan-douglas/) > [Could the peaceable principle of the Quakers be universally established, arms and the art of war would be wholly extirpated: But we live not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/could-the-peaceable-principle-of-the-quakers-be-universally/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Christians have to listen to the world as well as to the Word - to science, to history, to what reason and our own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-sloane-coffin/christians-have-to-listen-to-the-world-as-well-as-to-the-word-to/) [William Sloane Coffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-sloane-coffin/) > [I've grown tired of people impersonating world-weary cynics by intoning the old saying 'My enemy's enemy is my friend' as if it were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-hitchens/i-ve-grown-tired-of-people-impersonating-world-weary-cynics-by/) [Peter Hitchens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-hitchens/) > [Instead of saying @\*\*&!?\* to your enemy, why don't u say: hey! thanks for everything, I totally appreciate all those bad things u did…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lala/instead-of-saying-to-your-enemy-why-don-t-u-say-hey-thanks-for/) [Lala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lala/) > [“Readers will be swept up by the drama and fast pace of this powerful debut novel.” Reading Today Online, International Reading Association”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sharon-lovejoy/readers-will-be-swept-up-by-the-drama-and-fast-pace-of-this-powerful/) [Sharon Lovejoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sharon-lovejoy/) > [I descend from both Philadelphia Quakers and Carolina colonists whose families were separated by the Revolutionary War. That helped give me insight into the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-rutherfurd/i-descend-from-both-philadelphia-quakers-and-carolina-colonists-whose/) [Edward Rutherfurd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-rutherfurd/) > [“Sometimes painfully lost people can teach us lessons that we didn't think we needed to know, or be reminded of---the more history changes, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shannon-l-alder/sometimes-painfully-lost-people-can-teach-us-lessons-that-we-didn-t/) [Shannon L. Alder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shannon-l-alder/) > [Yes, the small village that we live in, in Virginia, is a very interesting place, in terms of its Civil War history, because it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/geraldine-brooks/yes-the-small-village-that-we-live-in-in-virginia-is-a-very/) [Geraldine Brooks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/geraldine-brooks/) ## More by Philip Yancey > [“God reproduces and lives out His image in millions of ordinary people like us. It is a supreme mystery. We are called to bear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/god-reproduces-and-lives-out-his-image-in-millions-of-ordinary-people/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Curiously, the righteous Pharisees had little historical impact, save for a brief time in a remote corner of the Roman Empire. But Jesus' disciples…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/curiously-the-righteous-pharisees-had-little-historical-impact-save/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus never met a disease he could not cure, a birth defect he could not reverse, a demon he could not exorcise. But he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-never-met-a-disease-he-could-not-cure-a-birth-defect-he-could/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Love deems this world worth rescuing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/love-deems-this-world-worth-rescuing/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [People instinctively know the difference between something done with a profit motive and something done with a love motive.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/people-instinctively-know-the-difference-between-something-done-with/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [In a nutshell, the Bible from Genesis 3 to Revelation 22 tells the story of a God reckless with desire to get his family back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/in-a-nutshell-the-bible-from-genesis-3-to-revelation-22-tells-the/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [You can know the law by heart without knowing the heart of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/you-can-know-the-law-by-heart-without-knowing-the-heart-of-it/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“I have marveled at, and sometimes openly questioned, the self-restraint God has shown throughout history, allowing the Genghis Khans and the Hitlers and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-have-marveled-at-and-sometimes-openly-questioned-the-self-restraint/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [C. S. Lewis observed that almost all crimes of Christian history have come about when religion is confused with politics. Politics, which always runs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/c-s-lewis-observed-that-almost-all-crimes-of-christian-history-have/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Having spent time around "sinners" and also around purported saints, I have a hunch why Jesus spent so much time with the former group:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/having-spent-time-around-sinners-and-also-around-purported-saints-i/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [We preach sermons, write books on apologetics, conduct city-wide evangelistic campaigns. For those alienated from the church, that approach no longer has the same…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/we-preach-sermons-write-books-on-apologetics-conduct-city-wide/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [I begin with confession not in order to feel miserable, rather to call to mind a reality I often ignore. When I acknowledge where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/i-begin-with-confession-not-in-order-to-feel-miserable-rather-to-call/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [Jesus reserved his hardest words for the hidden sins of hypocrisy, pride, greed and legalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/jesus-reserved-his-hardest-words-for-the-hidden-sins-of-hypocrisy/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“What greater gift could Christians give to the world than the forming of a culture that upholds grace and forgiveness?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/what-greater-gift-could-christians-give-to-the-world-than-the-forming/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) > [“For us who are Christians, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is proof positive that love is stronger than hate, that life is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/for-us-who-are-christians-the-death-and-resurrection-of-jesus-christ/) [Philip Yancey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) [Explore all 351 Philip Yancey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/) ## More Christian quotes > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [I think, here's what I've realized from interviewing people, and I've been very open about my Catholicism and my love of Christ and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-mohr/i-think-here-s-what-i-ve-realized-from-interviewing-people-and-i-ve/) [Jay Mohr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-mohr/) > [The truth is, of course, that the curtness of the Ten Commandments is an evidence, not of the gloom and narrowness of a religion,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-truth-is-of-course-that-the-curtness-of-the-ten-commandments-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Why do Christians sing when they are together? The reason is, quite simply, because in singing together it is possible for them to speak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dietrich-bonhoeffer/why-do-christians-sing-when-they-are-together-the-reason-is-quite/) [Dietrich Bonhoeffer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dietrich-bonhoeffer/) > [I'm very used to working with first time actors - you can just look back at 'E.T.' with Drew Barrymore, and Christian Bale from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-spielberg/i-m-very-used-to-working-with-first-time-actors-you-can-just-look/) [Steven Spielberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-spielberg/) > [“A question for Christians who accept evolution: When did we gain a "soul"? Did Homo habilis have a soul? Homo ergaster? Did God only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-g-mcafee/a-question-for-christians-who-accept-evolution-when-did-we-gain-a/) [David G. McAfee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-g-mcafee/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [For many, the call to be a Christian can seem demanding, even overwhelming. But we need not be afraid or feel inadequate. The Savior…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-hales/for-many-the-call-to-be-a-christian-can-seem-demanding-even/) [Robert D. Hales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-hales/) > [A real Christian in an odd number anyway. He feels supreme love for One whom he has never seen, talks familiarly every day to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-real-christian-in-an-odd-number-anyway-he-feels-supreme-love-for/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When the Lord Jesus Christ became my surety . . . He went to Calvary's cross, and all my guilt was charged against Him.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-allen-ironside/when-the-lord-jesus-christ-became-my-surety-he-went-to-calvary-s/) [Henry Allen Ironside](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-allen-ironside/) > [The world's history is a divine poem, of which the history of every nation is a canto, and every man a word. Its strains…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-garfield/the-world-s-history-is-a-divine-poem-of-which-the-history-of-every/) [James A. Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-garfield/) > [Poor David Hume is dying fast, but with more real cheerfulness and good humor and with more real resignation to the necessary course of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-smith/poor-david-hume-is-dying-fast-but-with-more-real-cheerfulness-and/) [Adam Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-smith/) > [“Is there any holy beings like human beings?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/is-there-any-holy-beings-like-human-beings/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [Jeff Chu's pilgrimage across America to discover his own place as a gay man in the Christian church as well as attitudes about being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-freitas/jeff-chu-s-pilgrimage-across-america-to-discover-his-own-place-as-a/) [Donna Freitas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donna-freitas/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) [Browse all 14,306 Christian quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/christian/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The Quakers have a saying: \"An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.\" To communicate to post-Christians, I must first listen to their stories for clues to how they view the world and how they view people like me.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Philip Yancey" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-one-whose-story-we-have-not/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Christian" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-one-whose-story-we-have-not/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/philip-yancey-840_christian_the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-on_745673.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/philip-yancey-840_christian_the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-on_745673.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/761/philip-yancey-840_christian_the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-on_745673.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The Quakers have a saying: \"An enemy is one whose story we have not heard.\" To communicate to…” — Philip Yancey", "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": "Philip Yancey", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-yancey/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The Quakers have a saying: \"An...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-one-whose-story-we-have-not/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-yancey/the-quakers-have-a-saying-an-enemy-is-one-whose-story-we-have-not/#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 } } ] } ```