--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: If we are going to succeed, it can not be…" description: "\"“If we are going to succeed, it can not be by employing the same techniques we deplore. We must be better than our enemies -- -- or we have lost before..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/scott-lobdell-80552_comics_if-we-are-going-to-succeed-it-can-not-be_1873160.jpg" --- # If we are going to succeed, it can not be by employing the… ![“If we are going to succeed, it can not be by employing the same techniques we deplore. We must be better than our enemies -- -- or we have lost before we've begun.” quote by Scott Lobdell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/scott-lobdell-80552_comics_if-we-are-going-to-succeed-it-can-not-be_1873160.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/scott-lobdell-80552_comics_if-we-are-going-to-succeed-it-can-not-be_1873160.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9dc/scott-lobdell-80552_comics_if-we-are-going-to-succeed-it-can-not-be_1873160.jpg) > ““If we are going to succeed, it can not be by employing the same techniques we deplore. We must be better than our enemies -- -- or we have lost before we've begun.”” [Scott Lobdell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lobdell/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Success requires new methods, not the same tactics you criticize; you must outdo opponents or fail before starting. **In simple terms:** Change tactics to win. Key Takeaway Adopt better strategies than rivals. Themes innovation ethics competition Mood determined serious Type motivational strategic When to use this quote - business planning - activism - political campaigns - personal growth Key Concepts strategic adaptation moral integrity Questions to Reflect On - What old habits must you abandon? - How can you ensure new tactics stay ethical? A Different Perspective Changing methods may be costly and risky. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Better Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/better-enemies-2597412/) [Comics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) [Deplore Better](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deplore-better-2597414/) [Going Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/going-succeed-262940/) [Marvel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marvel/) [Ororo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ororo-137400/) [Storm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/storm/) [Succeed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed/) [Succeed Employing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/succeed-employing-2597413/) [Success](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/success/) [X men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/x-men/) ## Related quotes > [“You have lived in a time and place ruled by violence and governed by fear -- -- Exactly the world that we X-Men, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lobdell/you-have-lived-in-a-time-and-place-ruled-by-violence-and-governed-by/) [Scott Lobdell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lobdell/) > [...(W)e lose when by official policy or by official negligence we allow, confuse or encourage our soldiers to forget . . . that which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-mccain/w-e-lose-when-by-official-policy-or-by-official-negligence-we-allow/) [John McCain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-mccain/) > [Its better to have many enemies. Then having a fake friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anurag-prakash-ray/its-better-to-have-many-enemies-then-having-a-fake-friend/) [Anurag Prakash Ray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anurag-prakash-ray/) > [Better to have your enemies inside your tent pissing out, then to have them outside your tent pissing in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-kearns-goodwin/better-to-have-your-enemies-inside-your-tent-pissing-out-then-to-have/) [Doris Kearns Goodwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-kearns-goodwin/) > [Paranoia will get you through times of no enemies better than enemies will get you through times of no paranoia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-granger/paranoia-will-get-you-through-times-of-no-enemies-better-than-enemies/) [Pete Granger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-granger/) > [“Yeah, well I'm a cop, Ma'am. 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If I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cs-lewis/if-i-ve-got-correct-goals-and-if-i-keep-pursuing-them-the-best-way-i/) [CS Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cs-lewis/) > [“The minute you have a back-up plan, you've admitted you are not going to succeed”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-holmes/the-minute-you-have-a-back-up-plan-you-ve-admitted-you-are-not-going/) [Elizabeth Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-holmes/) > [We are not going to succeed in everything we attempt in life. That's a guarantee. In fact, the more we do in life, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-jeffers/we-are-not-going-to-succeed-in-everything-we-attempt-in-life-that-s-a/) [Susan Jeffers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-jeffers/) > [If your city's being populated by highly educated twentysomething s with choices, you're probably going to succeed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mick-cornett/if-your-city-s-being-populated-by-highly-educated-twentysomething-s/) [Mick Cornett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mick-cornett/) > [I’m not going to die because I failed as someone else. I’m going to succeed as myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-cho/i-m-not-going-to-die-because-i-failed-as-someone-else-i-m-going-to/) [Margaret Cho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-cho/) > [It all started to come together when I realized that boxing was how I was going to succeed in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/it-all-started-to-come-together-when-i-realized-that-boxing-was-how-i/) [Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/) ## More by Scott Lobdell > [“You have lived in a time and place ruled by violence and governed by fear -- -- Exactly the world that we X-Men, have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lobdell/you-have-lived-in-a-time-and-place-ruled-by-violence-and-governed-by/) [Scott Lobdell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lobdell/) > [“Yeah, well I'm a cop, Ma'am. I can tell you the X-Men aren't the only people sworn t'help a world that fears and hates…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-lobdell/yeah-well-i-m-a-cop-ma-am-i-can-tell-you-the-x-men-aren-t-the-only/) [Scott Lobdell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lobdell/) [Explore all 3 Scott Lobdell quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-lobdell/) ## More Comics quotes > [Well, the coffeehouse audiences never know what they're going to get, and all the comics are different, as opposed to when you go to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathy-griffin/well-the-coffeehouse-audiences-never-know-what-they-re-going-to-get/) [Kathy Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathy-griffin/) > [I enjoy the fact that we have these mobile comics now, which are sort of a cross between a comic book and an animated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stan-lee/i-enjoy-the-fact-that-we-have-these-mobile-comics-now-which-are-sort/) [Stan Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stan-lee/) > [The main way I start to allocate color is that it comes from the comics. 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But when you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-mccloud/when-you-look-at-a-photo-or-realistic-drawing-of-a-face-you-see-it-as/) [Scott McCloud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-mccloud/) [Browse all 982 Comics quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/comics/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“If we are going to succeed, it can not be by employing the same techniques we deplore. 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