---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: As our enemies have found we can reason…"
description: "\"As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also.\" — Thomas Jefferson"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/thomas-jefferson-43_enemy_as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason_1912973.jpg"
---

#  As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now…

![“As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also.” quote by Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/thomas-jefferson-43_enemy_as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason_1912973.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/thomas-jefferson-43_enemy_as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason_1912973.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/thomas-jefferson-43_enemy_as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason_1912973.jpg)

> “As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also.”

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Reasoning is a human trait, but so is fighting; we should demonstrate both intellect and strength.

**In simple terms:** We must show both thought and action.

Key Takeaway

Combine reason with decisive action.

Themes

reason strength leadership conflict principles

Mood

reflective serious

Type

political ethical

When to use this quote

- negotiating treaties
- defending rights
- military planning
- public speaking

Key Concepts

political philosophy human nature morality

Questions to Reflect On

- When is force justified over dialogue?
- How can leaders balance intellect and force?

A Different Perspective

Violence may undermine rational discourse if overused.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Enemies Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies-reason-2629451/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Fight Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight-like/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Let Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/let-fight/) [Like Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-men/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Reason](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason/) [Reason Like](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/reason-like-380762/) [Us](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/us/)

## Related quotes

> [He hath disgrac'd me and hind'red me half a million; laugh'd at my losses, mock'd at my gains, scorned my nation, thwarted my bargains,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-hath-disgrac-d-me-and-hind-red-me-half-a-million-laugh-d-at-my/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

> [One reason we should love our enemies is that we made them ourselves. Another reason is that they keep us on our toes, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ash-sweeney/one-reason-we-should-love-our-enemies-is-that-we-made-them-ourselves/)

[Ash Sweeney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ash-sweeney/)

> [Even though most people who reject Christianity treat it as a refuge for enemies of reason, the truth is that there may be no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-h-nash/even-though-most-people-who-reject-christianity-treat-it-as-a-refuge/)

[Ronald H. Nash](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-h-nash/)

> [“everything happening for a reason like your reading for my words which make you know that”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/everything-happening-for-a-reason-like-your-reading-for-my-words/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [People bullshit and fakeness are the main reason I like being alone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-chable/people-bullshit-and-fakeness-are-the-main-reason-i-like-being-alone/)

[Ana Chable](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-chable/)

> [I don't know why, it's the same reason why you like some music and you don't like others. There's something about it that you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-garcia/i-don-t-know-why-it-s-the-same-reason-why-you-like-some-music-and-you/)

[Jerry Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-garcia/)

> [Oh, by the way, I tend to use a lot of profanities. I do that for a reason: I like it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mckee/oh-by-the-way-i-tend-to-use-a-lot-of-profanities-i-do-that-for-a/)

[Robert McKee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mckee/)

> [The simple reason I like every idea is that I'm an optimist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-randolph/the-simple-reason-i-like-every-idea-is-that-i-m-an-optimist/)

[Marc Randolph](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-randolph/)

> [When someone says everything happens for a reason, I'd like to smack them and say, 'Yeah, I guess you're right.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/when-someone-says-everything-happens-for-a-reason-i-d-like-to-smack/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Reason is like an officer when the king appears. The officer then loses his power and hides himself. Reason is the shadow cast by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/reason-is-like-an-officer-when-the-king-appears-the-officer-then/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Things do happen for a reason, but do we like the reason? Rarely.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/things-do-happen-for-a-reason-but-do-we-like-the-reason-rarely/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Be happy for no reason, like a child. If you're happy for a reason, you're in trouble, because that reason can be taken away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/be-happy-for-no-reason-like-a-child-if-you-re-happy-for-a-reason-you/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [Beginning to reason is like stepping onto an escalator that leads upward and out of sight. Once we take the first step, the distance…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-singer/beginning-to-reason-is-like-stepping-onto-an-escalator-that-leads/)

[Peter Singer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-singer/)

> [“Maybe the only reason I like him is because I had a crush on him for so long it became a part of me.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/catherine-clark/maybe-the-only-reason-i-like-him-is-because-i-had-a-crush-on-him-for/)

[Catherine Clark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/catherine-clark/)

> [To argue with a person who has renounced the use of reason is like administering medicine to the dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-argue-with-a-person-who-has-renounced-the-use-of-reason-is-like/)

[Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/)

## More by Thomas Jefferson

> [A man has a right to use a saw, an axe, a plane, separately; may he not combine their uses on the same piece…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-man-has-a-right-to-use-a-saw-an-axe-a-plane-separately-may-he-not/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [ \[States and the Federal government are\] coordinate departments of one simple and integral whole... The one is the domestic, the other the foreign branch… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/states-and-the-federal-government-are-coordinate-departments-of-one/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [I am for freedom of religion, and against all maneuvers to bring about a legal ascendency of one sect over another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/i-am-for-freedom-of-religion-and-against-all-maneuvers-to-bring-about/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Single acts of tyranny may be ascribed to the accidental opinion of a day; but a series of oppressions, begun at a distinguished period…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/single-acts-of-tyranny-may-be-ascribed-to-the-accidental-opinion-of-a/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“Perceiving the order of nature to be that individual happiness shall be inseparable from the practice of virtue, I am willing to hope it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/perceiving-the-order-of-nature-to-be-that-individual-happiness-shall/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Free government is founded in jealousy, and not in confidence; it is jealousy, and not confidence, which prescribes limited constitutions, to bind down those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/free-government-is-founded-in-jealousy-and-not-in-confidence-it-is/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Though you cannot see, when you take one step, what will be the next, yet follow truth, justice, and plain dealing, and never fear…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/though-you-cannot-see-when-you-take-one-step-what-will-be-the-next/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [A well informed citizenry is the best defense against tyranny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/a-well-informed-citizenry-is-the-best-defense-against-tyranny/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [The two principles on which our conduct towards the Indians should be founded are justice and fear. After the injuries we have done them,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/the-two-principles-on-which-our-conduct-towards-the-indians-should-be/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Knowledge is power...knowled ge is safety...knowle dge is happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/knowledge-is-power-knowled-ge-is-safety-knowle-dge-is-happiness/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [There is... an artificial aristocracy founded on wealth and birth, without either virtue or talents... The artificial aristocracy is a mischievous ingredient in government,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/there-is-an-artificial-aristocracy-founded-on-wealth-and-birth/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [Nothing but free argument, raillery and even ridicule will preserve the purity of religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/nothing-but-free-argument-raillery-and-even-ridicule-will-preserve/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [When the people are afraid of the government, that's tyranny. But when the government is afraid of the people, that's liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/when-the-people-are-afraid-of-the-government-that-s-tyranny-but-when/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

> [“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed, by their Creator, with certain unalienable Rights,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/we-hold-these-truths-to-be-self-evident-that-all-men-are-created/)

[Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

[Explore all 2,098 Thomas Jefferson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Jefferson"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason-like-men-so-now-let-us-show/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Enemy"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason-like-men-so-now-let-us-show/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/thomas-jefferson-43_enemy_as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason_1912973.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/thomas-jefferson-43_enemy_as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason_1912973.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a4a/thomas-jefferson-43_enemy_as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason_1912973.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“As our enemies have found we can reason like men, so now let us show them we can fight like men also.” — Thomas Jefferson",
                "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": "Thomas Jefferson",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "As our enemies have found we...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason-like-men-so-now-let-us-show/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/as-our-enemies-have-found-we-can-reason-like-men-so-now-let-us-show/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```