--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There is only one way to defeat the…" description: "\"There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.\" — Saul Bellow" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/saul-bellow-558_argument_there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enem_87421.png" --- # There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to… ![“There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.” quote by Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/saul-bellow-558_argument_there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enem_87421.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/saul-bellow-558_argument_there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enem_87421.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/saul-bellow-558_argument_there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enem_87421.png) > “There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.” [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Writing superiorly can defeat opposition by shaping opinions; a powerful book serves as an undeniable argument. **In simple terms:** Writing can win battles. Key Takeaway Great writing is a weapon. Themes power of language intellectual warfare literary influence communication persuasion Mood determined confident inspired Type aphorism advice When to use this quote - political debate - courtroom persuasion - public advocacy - media campaigns - academic discourse Key Concepts argumentation book as tool authoritative voice Practical Applications - authoring persuasive essays - crafting compelling narratives Questions to Reflect On - How can a well-crafted text change a conflict? - What makes a book an unstoppable argument? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Argument](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Defeat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeat/) [Defeating the enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/defeating-the-enemy/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Good book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/good-book/) [Sunset](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sunset/) [Writing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writing/) ## Related quotes > [The best argument is an undeniably good book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-best-argument-is-an-undeniably-good-book/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Never forget, the press is the enemy. The establishment is the enemy. The professors are the enemy. Professors are the enemy. Write that on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-m-nixon/never-forget-the-press-is-the-enemy-the-establishment-is-the-enemy/) [Richard M. Nixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-m-nixon/) > [The bicycle is its own best argument. You just get a bike, try it; start going with the thing and using it as it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-ballantine/the-bicycle-is-its-own-best-argument-you-just-get-a-bike-try-it-start/) Richard Ballantine > [“WIN PEOPLE TO YOUR WAY OF THINKING PRINCIPLE 1 The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. PRINCIPLE…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/win-people-to-your-way-of-thinking-principle-1-the-only-way-to-get/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [For I had often said that the best argument I knew for an immortal life was the existence of a man who deserved one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/for-i-had-often-said-that-the-best-argument-i-knew-for-an-immortal/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“PRINCIPLE 1 The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it. PRINCIPLE 2 Show respect for the other person’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/principle-1-the-only-way-to-get-the-best-of-an-argument-is-to-avoid/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [The best argument for Christianity is Christians: their joy, their certainty, their completeness. But the strongest argument against Christianity is also Christians-when they are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-c-aldrich/the-best-argument-for-christianity-is-christians-their-joy-their-2/) Joseph C. Aldrich > [“Sometimes, the best argument in favour of the old... is the new!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apostolos-doxiadis/sometimes-the-best-argument-in-favour-of-the-old-is-the-new/) [Apostolos Doxiadis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apostolos-doxiadis/) > [The best argument for Christianity is the Gregorian chant. Listening to that music, one can believe anything -- while the music lasts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/the-best-argument-for-christianity-is-the-gregorian-chant-listening/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [“the best argument against a democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winston-churchill/the-best-argument-against-a-democracy-is-a-five-minute-conversation/) [Winston Churchill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winston-churchill/) > [ But the best argument of all \[for evangelism\] is to be found in the wounds of Jesus. You want to honor Him, you desire… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-spurgeon/but-the-best-argument-of-all-for-evangelism-is-to-be-found-in-the/) [Charles Spurgeon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-spurgeon/) > [The only way to get the best of an argument is to avoid it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dale-carnegie/the-only-way-to-get-the-best-of-an-argument-is-to-avoid-it/) [Dale Carnegie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dale-carnegie/) > [Never argue at the dinner table, for the one who is not hungry always gets the best of the argument.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-whately/never-argue-at-the-dinner-table-for-the-one-who-is-not-hungry-always/) [Richard Whately](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-whately/) > [“The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-d-king/the-best-argument-against-democracy-is-a-five-minute-conversation/) [Stephen D. King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-d-king/) > [“To YoYo Ma: "You playing is the best argument I've ever heard for the existence of God, because I don't really believe a human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-jobs/to-yoyo-ma-you-playing-is-the-best-argument-i-ve-ever-heard-for-the/) [Steve Jobs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-jobs/) ## More by Saul Bellow > [... a fellow can't predict what he will pick up in the form of influence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-fellow-can-t-predict-what-he-will-pick-up-in-the-form-of-influence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [If I'm out of my mind, it's all right with me, thought Moses Herzog.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/if-i-m-out-of-my-mind-it-s-all-right-with-me-thought-moses-herzog/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [I have begun in old age to understand just how oddly we are all put together. We are so proud of our autonomy that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-have-begun-in-old-age-to-understand-just-how-oddly-we-are-all-put/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“On Broadway it was still bright afternoon and the gassy air was almost motionless under the leaden spokes of sunlight, and sawdust footprints lay…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/on-broadway-it-was-still-bright-afternoon-and-the-gassy-air-was/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are evils that have the ability to survive identification and go on for ever... money, for instance, or war.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-evils-that-have-the-ability-to-survive-identification-and/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Myself is thus and so, and will continue thus and so. And why fight it? My balance comes from instability.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/myself-is-thus-and-so-and-will-continue-thus-and-so-and-why-fight-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“A strange heart. I myself can't account for it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/a-strange-heart-i-myself-can-t-account-for-it/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [The late philosopher Morris R. Cohen of CCNY was asked by a student in the metaphysics course, Professor Cohen, how do I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/the-late-philosopher-morris-r-cohen-of-ccny-was-asked-by-a-student-in/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“Therefore we didn't talk of genuine things.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/therefore-we-didn-t-talk-of-genuine-things/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [Is our species crazy? Plenty of evidence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/is-our-species-crazy-plenty-of-evidence/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“But now the emphasis has shifted to making it. People have surrendered their personal moral objectives to government or schools or psychologists. It’s a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/but-now-the-emphasis-has-shifted-to-making-it-people-have-surrendered/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There's a kind of emptiness at the center of life ... nothing to form your life on, or by.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-s-a-kind-of-emptiness-at-the-center-of-life-nothing-to-form/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“I don't know how it all at once came to me to talk a lot, tell jokes, kick up, and suddenly have views. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/i-don-t-know-how-it-all-at-once-came-to-me-to-talk-a-lot-tell-jokes/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [There are times when the most practical thing is to lie down.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-are-times-when-the-most-practical-thing-is-to-lie-down/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) > [“For knowledge of death makes us wish to extend our lives at the expense of others. And this is the root of the struggle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/for-knowledge-of-death-makes-us-wish-to-extend-our-lives-at-the/) [Saul Bellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) [Explore all 464 Saul Bellow quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/) ## More Argument quotes > [A flourishing, morally credible media is a vital component in the maintenance of genuinely public talk, argument about common good.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rowan-williams/a-flourishing-morally-credible-media-is-a-vital-component-in-the/) [Rowan Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rowan-williams/) > [Preaching to the choir actually arms the choir with arguments and elevates the choir's discourse. There's a reason the right does it and does…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-savage/preaching-to-the-choir-actually-arms-the-choir-with-arguments-and/) [Dan Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-savage/) > [Lutherans, whose arguments and mistakes will not be difficult to contest or discover, do not want to attribute any value to works, and they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-servetus/lutherans-whose-arguments-and-mistakes-will-not-be-difficult-to/) [Michael Servetus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-servetus/) > [Any comprehensive doctrine, religious or secular, can be introduced into any political argument at any time, but I argue that people who do this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-rawls/any-comprehensive-doctrine-religious-or-secular-can-be-introduced/) [John Rawls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-rawls/) > [As opposed to getting into arguments about, well, these folks have been treated fairly so now we're going to be doing things that, very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barack-obama/as-opposed-to-getting-into-arguments-about-well-these-folks-have-been/) [Barack Obama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barack-obama/) > [There could be no more powerful argument against mixing religion and government than the success of independent African American churches in placing racial segregation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jacoby/there-could-be-no-more-powerful-argument-against-mixing-religion-and/) [Susan Jacoby](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jacoby/) > [The inner defenses are unconscious. They consist of a kind of magic aura which the mind builds around cherished belief. Arguments which penetrate into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-koestler/the-inner-defenses-are-unconscious-they-consist-of-a-kind-of-magic/) [Arthur Koestler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-koestler/) > [On the stage, the characters express themselves more through words than images. So the arguments of the characters and the tension between characters -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-alda/on-the-stage-the-characters-express-themselves-more-through-words/) [Alan Alda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-alda/) > [One argument goes that recessions are good for female artists because when money flies out the window, women are allowed in the house. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-saltz/one-argument-goes-that-recessions-are-good-for-female-artists-because/) [Jerry Saltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-saltz/) > [All of the barriers to innovation in the energy sector are arguments for a big commitment to public investment. Only the public sector can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nordhaus/all-of-the-barriers-to-innovation-in-the-energy-sector-are-arguments/) [Ted Nordhaus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nordhaus/) > [“Arguments led by subjectivity are a waste of time. And, if they take place online, add to that, a waste of one’s keyboard.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mokokoma-mokhonoana/arguments-led-by-subjectivity-are-a-waste-of-time-and-if-they-take/) [Mokokoma Mokhonoana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mokokoma-mokhonoana/) > [If in the middle of an argument I suddenly fall silent it does not mean you have won... No it means you should probably…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hussein-nishah/if-in-the-middle-of-an-argument-i-suddenly-fall-silent-it-does-not/) [Hussein Nishah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hussein-nishah/) > [Don't get divorced after your first argument! I have a lot of friends that have one fight and that's it, they get divorced. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-ripa/don-t-get-divorced-after-your-first-argument-i-have-a-lot-of-friends/) [Kelly Ripa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-ripa/) > [“The motive behind my arguments have always been to come at truth. I am not interested in conquering anyone with my ideologies or seeking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crystal-evans/the-motive-behind-my-arguments-have-always-been-to-come-at-truth-i-am/) [Crystal Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crystal-evans/) > [In presenting a mathematical argument the great thing is to give the educated reader the chance to catch on at once to the momentary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-edensor-littlewood/in-presenting-a-mathematical-argument-the-great-thing-is-to-give-the/) [John Edensor Littlewood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-edensor-littlewood/) [Browse all 3,479 Argument quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/argument/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an undeniably good book.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Saul Bellow" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enemy-and-that-is-to-write-as/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Argument" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enemy-and-that-is-to-write-as/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/saul-bellow-558_argument_there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enem_87421.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/saul-bellow-558_argument_there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enem_87421.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/4e6/saul-bellow-558_argument_there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enem_87421.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There is only one way to defeat the enemy, and that is to write as well as one can. The best argument is an…” — Saul Bellow", "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": "Saul Bellow", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-bellow/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There is only one way to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enemy-and-that-is-to-write-as/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-bellow/there-is-only-one-way-to-defeat-the-enemy-and-that-is-to-write-as/#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 } } ] } ```