--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Enemies will kill you with a knife in the…" description: "\"Enemies will kill you with a knife in the back. Friends will kill you with kindness. Either way you're dead.\" — Richard Kadrey" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/richard-kadrey-3619_enemy_enemies-will-kill-you-with-a-knife-in-th_1204745.png" --- # Enemies will kill you with a knife in the back. Friends… ![“Enemies will kill you with a knife in the back. Friends will kill you with kindness. Either way you're dead.” quote by Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/richard-kadrey-3619_enemy_enemies-will-kill-you-with-a-knife-in-th_1204745.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/richard-kadrey-3619_enemy_enemies-will-kill-you-with-a-knife-in-th_1204745.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/232/richard-kadrey-3619_enemy_enemies-will-kill-you-with-a-knife-in-th_1204745.png) > “Enemies will kill you with a knife in the back. Friends will kill you with kindness. Either way you're dead.” [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Friends and enemies can both cause harm, ultimately leading to death regardless of method. **In simple terms:** Both kindness and betrayal can be deadly. Key Takeaway Beware hidden dangers in all relationships. Themes trust betrayal danger relationships mortality Mood cautionary dark philosophical Type personal social When to use this quote - personal relationships - political alliances - business deals Key Concepts psychology social dynamics risk assessment Questions to Reflect On - What signs indicate toxic kindness? - How do you protect yourself without isolating? A Different Perspective May be overly fatalistic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Kindness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kindness/) ## Related quotes > [Revenge is never what you think it's going to be. There's no pleasure and glory, and when it's done your grief remains. Once a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/revenge-is-never-what-you-think-it-s-going-to-be-there-s-no-pleasure/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [A sharp tongue or pen can kill without a knife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinese-proverb/a-sharp-tongue-or-pen-can-kill-without-a-knife/) Chinese Proverb > [I have to keep law and order and it means that I have to kill my enemies before they kill me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idi-amin/i-have-to-keep-law-and-order-and-it-means-that-i-have-to-kill-my/) [Idi Amin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/idi-amin/) > [Your enemies can kill you, but only your friends can hurt you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcus-tullius-cicero/your-enemies-can-kill-you-but-only-your-friends-can-hurt-you/) [Marcus Tullius Cicero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcus-tullius-cicero/) > [In politics, your enemies cant hurt you, but your friends will kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azgraybebly-joslan/in-politics-your-enemies-cant-hurt-you-but-your-friends-will-kill-you/) Azgraybebly Joslan > [“On the one hand, I have a neighbor who I'm fairly certain thinks I'm the devil, but on the other hand most of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santino-hassell/on-the-one-hand-i-have-a-neighbor-who-i-m-fairly-certain-thinks-i-m/) [Santino Hassell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santino-hassell/) > [I just can't do it no more.3 of my close friends kill them self last weekend bc the pain in life.I been so down…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tabby/i-just-can-t-do-it-no-more-3-of-my-close-friends-kill-them-self-last/) [Tabby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tabby/) > [“I don’t know if I can shoot a man.” The old woman cackled. “Can’t shoot ‘em, but you can wallop ‘em to death with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jacqueline-rhoades/i-don-t-know-if-i-can-shoot-a-man-the-old-woman-cackled-can-t-shoot/) Jacqueline Rhoades > [I've always said that in politics, your enemies can't hurt you, but your friends will kill you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ann-richards/i-ve-always-said-that-in-politics-your-enemies-can-t-hurt-you-but/) [Ann Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ann-richards/) > [Krishna suprises Arjuna. He says go fight, go kill. Do this because it's only play money. You can't kill your friends any more than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/krishna-suprises-arjuna-he-says-go-fight-go-kill-do-this-because-it-s/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Maybe this is why so many serial killers work in pairs. It's nice not to feel alone in a world full of victims or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/maybe-this-is-why-so-many-serial-killers-work-in-pairs-it-s-nice-not/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Go ahead stabbing knives into other people's backs, but dont forget to watch your own](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aisha-momin/go-ahead-stabbing-knives-into-other-people-s-backs-but-dont-forget-to/) Aisha Momin > [You could stab a knife right through my heart and you'd be too late.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/you-could-stab-a-knife-right-through-my-heart-and-you-d-be-too-late/) [Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/) > [Put a knife in your shirt, get close to an Israeli occupier and stab him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hassan-nasrallah/put-a-knife-in-your-shirt-get-close-to-an-israeli-occupier-and-stab/) [Hassan Nasrallah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hassan-nasrallah/) > [I gotta friend who spends his life, stabbing my picture with a bowie knife. Dreams of strangling me with a scarf, when my name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-dylan/i-gotta-friend-who-spends-his-life-stabbing-my-picture-with-a-bowie/) [Bob Dylan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-dylan/) ## More by Richard Kadrey > [“Maybe he was destined to die under the fading shadow of a plastic dinosaur surrounded by pickpockets, hookers, and panhandlers, but at least he’d…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/maybe-he-was-destined-to-die-under-the-fading-shadow-of-a-plastic/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“To the dead. Let’s think of them always, but not join them too soon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/to-the-dead-let-s-think-of-them-always-but-not-join-them-too-soon/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“Now you are thinking like a thief. Fewer guns and more exits. We'll cure your cowboy ways yet. (Vidocq)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/now-you-are-thinking-like-a-thief-fewer-guns-and-more-exits-we-ll/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [If Donald Trump and the Wicked Witch of the West had a kid, it would be Jayne-Anne. She looks like a librarian with some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/if-donald-trump-and-the-wicked-witch-of-the-west-had-a-kid-it-would/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“The clerk is looking at me. His expression hasn't changed. What I want to do is punch a hole in the front of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/the-clerk-is-looking-at-me-his-expression-hasn-t-changed-what-i-want/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [The dead think they can get away with anything because you'll feel sorry for them. If you play cards with the dead, make sure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/the-dead-think-they-can-get-away-with-anything-because-you-ll-feel/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [I tap a Malediction out of the box, fire it up, and puff. It tastes like a tire fire in a candy factory next…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/i-tap-a-malediction-out-of-the-box-fire-it-up-and-puff-it-tastes-like/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“Besides Getting my ass kicked, my main accomplishment on this trip has been to massacre an incredible number of completely innocent clothes. I'm the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/besides-getting-my-ass-kicked-my-main-accomplishment-on-this-trip-has/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“So far, being dead is about as much fun as a barbed-wire G-string. Yes,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/so-far-being-dead-is-about-as-much-fun-as-a-barbed-wire-g-string-yes/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [ “Are you asking because you want to see if doc can turn you into a librarian when all this is over?" \[p.240:\]” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/are-you-asking-because-you-want-to-see-if-doc-can-turn-you-into-a/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“Most people are idiots. There's nothing worse than idiots who tell you their opinions.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/most-people-are-idiots-there-s-nothing-worse-than-idiots-who-tell-you/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“I've never seen a Jade in full feral mode before. Candy's nails have curved out into thick claws. Her eyes are red slit pupils…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/i-ve-never-seen-a-jade-in-full-feral-mode-before-candy-s-nails-have/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“Words are weapons. They blast big bloody holes in the world. And words are bricks. Say something out loud and it starts turning solid.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/words-are-weapons-they-blast-big-bloody-holes-in-the-world-and-words/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“Is killing someone always like this?” “Just the first couple of times. After that it’s like folding socks. But that’s just me.” She”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/is-killing-someone-always-like-this-just-the-first-couple-of-times/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) > [“So, why'd you come back?" " I'm going to kill some people," I tell him. I pour the Jack into the coffee. "Probably a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-kadrey/so-why-d-you-come-back-i-m-going-to-kill-some-people-i-tell-him-i/) [Richard Kadrey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) [Explore all 126 Richard Kadrey quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-kadrey/) ## More Enemy quotes > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/) [Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [It is the rule in war, if our forces are ten to the enemy's one, to surround him; if five to one, to attack…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sun-tzu/it-is-the-rule-in-war-if-our-forces-are-ten-to-the-enemy-s-one-to/) [Sun Tzu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sun-tzu/) > [Fear is a man's worst enemy, but love is a man's most powerful weapon against anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/fear-is-a-man-s-worst-enemy-but-love-is-a-man-s-most-powerful-weapon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The surprise of an army is now next to an impossibility. ... Prearranged surprises are rare and difficult because in order to plan one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antoine-henri-jomini/the-surprise-of-an-army-is-now-next-to-an-impossibility-prearranged/) [Antoine-Henri Jomini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antoine-henri-jomini/) > [“Never let your Enemies become your Advocates.” by A. K. Hasan”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-k-hasan/never-let-your-enemies-become-your-advocates-by-a-k-hasan/) A.K. Hasan > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [To achieve victory we must mass our forces at the hub of all power & movement. The enemy's 'Center of Gravity'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-achieve-victory-we-must-mass-our-forces-at-the-hub-of-all-power/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [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/) > [The invention of gunpowder and the constant improvement of firearms are enough in themselves to show that the advance of civilization has done nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-von-clausewitz/the-invention-of-gunpowder-and-the-constant-improvement-of-firearms/) [Carl von Clausewitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-von-clausewitz/) > [Perfection is the enemy of greatness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janelle-monae/perfection-is-the-enemy-of-greatness/) [Janelle Monae](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janelle-monae/) > [In this business, you find the enemy, then go after and destroy him. Everything else is rubbish!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-rickenbacker/in-this-business-you-find-the-enemy-then-go-after-and-destroy-him/) [Eddie Rickenbacker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-rickenbacker/) > [“Enemies Teach. Friends Preach.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tapan-ghosh/enemies-teach-friends-preach/) [Tapan Ghosh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tapan-ghosh/) [Browse all 7,981 Enemy quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Enemies will kill you with a knife in the back. Friends will kill you with kindness. 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