--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I have no permanent enemies - only people…" description: "\"I have no permanent enemies - only people I have yet to persuade.\" — Richard Lamm" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/richard-lamm-10220_enemies_i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people_202106.jpg" --- # I have no permanent enemies - only people I have yet to… ![“I have no permanent enemies - only people I have yet to persuade.” quote by Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/richard-lamm-10220_enemies_i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people_202106.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/richard-lamm-10220_enemies_i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people_202106.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/richard-lamm-10220_enemies_i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people_202106.jpg) > “I have no permanent enemies - only people I have yet to persuade.” [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Opponents are not fixed enemies; they are potential allies awaiting persuasion through dialogue and understanding. **In simple terms:** People can become friends if you persuade them. Key Takeaway Seek dialogue over conflict. Themes conflict resolution persuasion open‑mindedness relationships Mood analytical optimistic pragmatic Type political inspirational When to use this quote - political debates - workplace disagreements - community disputes - personal conflicts Key Concepts political science psychology communication studies Questions to Reflect On - What arguments could change a skeptic’s mind? - When is persuasion ineffective? A Different Perspective Persuasion can be limited by deep‑seated beliefs or power dynamics. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Enemies People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-people-240437/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Intentionally](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intentionally/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [People Persuade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-persuade-2108971/) [Permanent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent/) [Permanent Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/permanent-enemies-2108970/) [Persuade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persuade/) ## Related quotes > [I can only tell you the kind of power I want, which is the power to persuade. But I do not want the power…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gloria-steinem/i-can-only-tell-you-the-kind-of-power-i-want-which-is-the-power-to/) [Gloria Steinem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gloria-steinem/) > [There are no permanent friends or permanent enemies, just permanent interests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carol-moseley-braun/there-are-no-permanent-friends-or-permanent-enemies-just-permanent/) [Carol Moseley Braun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carol-moseley-braun/) > [In politics, there are no permanent enemies or friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamilisai-soundararajan/in-politics-there-are-no-permanent-enemies-or-friends/) [Tamilisai Soundararajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamilisai-soundararajan/) > [Why I can't stand this phrase about I don't have any permanent enemies, any permanent friends, only permanent interests. I can't stand that. It's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cornel-west/why-i-can-t-stand-this-phrase-about-i-don-t-have-any-permanent/) [Cornel West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cornel-west/) > [“It is impossible to make peace with the Roman Catholic Church. It is one of the permanent enemies of all that is decent in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harold-laski/it-is-impossible-to-make-peace-with-the-roman-catholic-church-it-is/) [Harold Laski](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harold-laski/) > [The enemies of a people are those who keep them in ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sankara/the-enemies-of-a-people-are-those-who-keep-them-in-ignorance/) [Thomas Sankara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sankara/) > [Your enemies are people too, and maybe they don't have to be enemies if they're that much like you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-weisberg/your-enemies-are-people-too-and-maybe-they-don-t-have-to-be-enemies/) [Joe Weisberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-weisberg/) > [Barack Obama's enemies are the people who make this country work. Barack Obama's enemies are those who succeed. Those are the people whose income…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/barack-obama-s-enemies-are-the-people-who-make-this-country-work/) [Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/) > [No mercy for these enemies of the people, the enemies of socialism, the enemies of the working people! War to the death against the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-lenin/no-mercy-for-these-enemies-of-the-people-the-enemies-of-socialism-the/) [Vladimir Lenin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-lenin/) > [“Enemies! People these days don't have enemies ! Not English people!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/agatha-christie/enemies-people-these-days-don-t-have-enemies-not-english-people/) [Agatha Christie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/agatha-christie/) > [“it was the rotten fabric woven by evil, the overnight sham bulwarks of enemies of the people; it would burn to ash at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christina-stead/it-was-the-rotten-fabric-woven-by-evil-the-overnight-sham-bulwarks-of/) [Christina Stead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christina-stead/) > [ \[The ruling elites\] know who their enemies are, and their enemies are the people, the people at home and the people abroad. Their enemies… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-parenti/the-ruling-elites-know-who-their-enemies-are-and-their-enemies-are/) [Michael Parenti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-parenti/) > [ \[Enemies of Syria\] are the enemies of the people and the enemies of God. And the enemies of God will go to hell. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bashar-al-assad/enemies-of-syria-are-the-enemies-of-the-people-and-the-enemies-of-god/) [Bashar al-Assad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bashar-al-assad/) > [Treacherous assassins, enemies of the people, and worthy of everyone's ridicule are those who, under the pretext of guiding future generations, teach them an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-marti/treacherous-assassins-enemies-of-the-people-and-worthy-of-everyone-s/) [Jose Marti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-marti/) > [“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/) ## More by Richard Lamm > ['Diversity' is a wonderfully seductive word. It stresses differences rather than commonalities. Diverse people worldwide are mostly engaged in hating each other - that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/diversity-is-a-wonderfully-seductive-word-it-stresses-differences/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [History shows, in my opinion, that no nation can survive the tension, conflict and antagonism of two competing languages and cultures. It is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/history-shows-in-my-opinion-that-no-nation-can-survive-the-tension/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [Sprawl is the American ideal way to develop.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/sprawl-is-the-american-ideal-way-to-develop/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I believe we all must face the fact of death. It is both gift and curse.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-believe-we-all-must-face-the-fact-of-death-it-is-both-gift-and-curse/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [All we know about the new economic world is that nations which train engineers will prevail over those which train lawyers. No nation has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/all-we-know-about-the-new-economic-world-is-that-nations-which-train/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [Sprawl is the American ideal way to develop. I believe that what we're developing in Denver is in no appreciable way different than what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/sprawl-is-the-american-ideal-way-to-develop-i-believe-that-what-we-re/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I've had some major disappointments. The quality of life in Denver is worse than when I took over, and I'm embarrassed about that. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-ve-had-some-major-disappointments-the-quality-of-life-in-denver-is/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [We can make the United States a 'Hispanic Quebec' without much effort. The key is to celebrate diversity rather than unity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/we-can-make-the-united-states-a-hispanic-quebec-without-much-effort/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [It was almost a desecration to put a building on the Boulder Turnpike, which is now U.S.-36 and is almost backyards and even junkyards…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/it-was-almost-a-desecration-to-put-a-building-on-the-boulder-turnpike/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [America has to ask itself not what it wants, but what it can afford... The New Deal, in my mind, has become a raw…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/america-has-to-ask-itself-not-what-it-wants-but-what-it-can-afford/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I believe for some high-technology medicine, like transplants and kidney dialysis, age should be a consideration in the delivery of that technology. In a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-believe-for-some-high-technology-medicine-like-transplants-and/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [God is not an American. Nature did not design Americans to be prosperous forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/god-is-not-an-american-nature-did-not-design-americans-to-be/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [A truly moral health care system should start out by covering all of its citizens with basic health care. It would not be seduced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/a-truly-moral-health-care-system-should-start-out-by-covering-all-of/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [Amnesty is a big billboard, a flashing billboard, to the rest of the world that we don't really mean our immigration law.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/amnesty-is-a-big-billboard-a-flashing-billboard-to-the-rest-of-the/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) > [I feel very strongly that the Democratic Party has, in the past, been the party of the future. I think when you look at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-feel-very-strongly-that-the-democratic-party-has-in-the-past-been/) [Richard Lamm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) [Explore all 67 Richard Lamm quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/) ## More Enemies quotes > [“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](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": "I have no permanent enemies - only people I have yet to persuade.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Richard Lamm" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people-i-have-yet-to-persuade/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people-i-have-yet-to-persuade/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/richard-lamm-10220_enemies_i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people_202106.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/richard-lamm-10220_enemies_i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people_202106.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ca9/richard-lamm-10220_enemies_i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people_202106.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I have no permanent enemies - only people I have yet to persuade.” — Richard Lamm", "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": "Richard Lamm", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-lamm/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I have no permanent enemies -...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people-i-have-yet-to-persuade/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-lamm/i-have-no-permanent-enemies-only-people-i-have-yet-to-persuade/#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 } } ] } ```