--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Our greatest enemies, the ones we must…" description: "\"Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.\" — Thomas Paine" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/thomas-paine-267_enemies_our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fi_1651709.png" --- # Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often… ![“Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.” quote by Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/thomas-paine-267_enemies_our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fi_1651709.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/thomas-paine-267_enemies_our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fi_1651709.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/thomas-paine-267_enemies_our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fi_1651709.png) > “Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.” [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Internal conflicts often pose the greatest threat, requiring self‑awareness and personal growth. **In simple terms:** Our biggest enemies are inside us. Key Takeaway Address inner struggles. Themes self‑awareness conflict personal growth Mood reflective serious Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - leadership - relationships - mental health - personal development Key Concepts psychology self‑reflection Questions to Reflect On - What internal habits limit you? - How can you confront them? A Different Perspective Ignoring internal issues can undermine external success. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemies/) [Enemy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enemy/) [Esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/esteem/) [Fight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fight/) [Human nature](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-nature/) [Humans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humans/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Self](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self/) [Self esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-esteem/) ## Related quotes > [“Not many people are enemies to anyone. But the ones full of greed or hate, pride or fear—their passion is strong enough to lever…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/not-many-people-are-enemies-to-anyone-but-the-ones-full-of-greed-or/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [The greatest warriors are the ones who fight for peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-near/the-greatest-warriors-are-the-ones-who-fight-for-peace/) [Holly Near](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-near/) > [Most of the players can get injured, small ones and big ones. But when you get the small ones, you have to fight against…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernandinho/most-of-the-players-can-get-injured-small-ones-and-big-ones-but-when/) [Fernandinho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernandinho/) > [“Nothing worth having is easy. The same goes for people. The ones who take cold, hard guts to get inside of are the most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/l-h-cosway/nothing-worth-having-is-easy-the-same-goes-for-people-the-ones-who/) [L.H. Cosway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/l-h-cosway/) > [“The ones who fight each other because of their own beliefs are like specks of dirt fighting each other about the nature of their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joshua-kadison/the-ones-who-fight-each-other-because-of-their-own-beliefs-are-like/) [Joshua Kadison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joshua-kadison/) > [But our most dangerous enemies are the ones we never knew we had.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gossip-girl/but-our-most-dangerous-enemies-are-the-ones-we-never-knew-we-had/) [Gossip Girl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gossip-girl/) > [“The worst enemies are the ones that live next door,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-abercrombie/the-worst-enemies-are-the-ones-that-live-next-door/) [Joe Abercrombie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-abercrombie/) > [The constitution has broken down. We have no enemies except the ones we select and direct towards the nearest nuclear bombs. They need an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gore-vidal/the-constitution-has-broken-down-we-have-no-enemies-except-the-ones/) [Gore Vidal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gore-vidal/) > [Most Of My Friends, Become Enemies, that's Why I f/w The Ones Who Alway's Been With Me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/most-of-my-friends-become-enemies-that-s-why-i-f-w-the-ones-who-alway/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [He that overcomes his passions, overcomes his greatest enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-milton/he-that-overcomes-his-passions-overcomes-his-greatest-enemies/) [John Milton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-milton/) > [This tribe of black gentry work more effectually against us, than the enemy's arms. They are a hundred times more dangerous to our liberties,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-washington/this-tribe-of-black-gentry-work-more-effectually-against-us-than-the/) [George Washington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-washington/) > [“She said that time and death are the greatest enemies all of us must face, and the only weapon stronger than they are is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-c-wrede/she-said-that-time-and-death-are-the-greatest-enemies-all-of-us-must/) [Patricia C. Wrede](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-c-wrede/) > [The greatest enemies of success and happiness are negative emotions of all kinds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-tracy/the-greatest-enemies-of-success-and-happiness-are-negative-emotions/) [Brian Tracy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-tracy/) > [the voluntary relinquishing of responsibility for our lives and our actions is one of the greatest enemies of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genesis-p-orridge/the-voluntary-relinquishing-of-responsibility-for-our-lives-and-our/) [Genesis P-Orridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genesis-p-orridge/) > [“His grandfather had told him many times that the greatest enemies of a fighting man were death and women.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glyn-iliffe/his-grandfather-had-told-him-many-times-that-the-greatest-enemies-of/) Glyn Iliffe ## More by Thomas Paine > [“No man is prejudiced in favour of a thing, knowing it to be wrong. He is attached to it on the belief of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/no-man-is-prejudiced-in-favour-of-a-thing-knowing-it-to-be-wrong-he/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“The laws of every country must be analogous to some common principle.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-laws-of-every-country-must-be-analogous-to-some-common-principle/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [The book called the Bible has been voted by men, and decreed by human laws to be the word of God; and the disbelief…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/the-book-called-the-bible-has-been-voted-by-men-and-decreed-by-human/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [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/) > [One would think that a system loaded with such gross and vulgar absurdities as Scripture religion is could never have obtained credit; yet we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/one-would-think-that-a-system-loaded-with-such-gross-and-vulgar/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Commerce diminishes the spirit, both of patriotism and military defence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/commerce-diminishes-the-spirit-both-of-patriotism-and-military-defence/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What is it the Bible teaches us? - raping, cruelty, and murder. What is it the New Testament teaches us? - to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-is-it-the-bible-teaches-us-raping-cruelty-and-murder-what-is-it/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom must, like men, undergo the fatigue of supporting it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/those-who-expect-to-reap-the-blessings-of-freedom-must-like-men/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“It has been the practice of all Christian commentators on the Bible, and of all Christian priests and preachers, to impose the Bible on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/it-has-been-the-practice-of-all-christian-commentators-on-the-bible/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [But there are times when men have serious thoughts, and it is at such times, when they begin to think, that they begin to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/but-there-are-times-when-men-have-serious-thoughts-and-it-is-at-such/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Wisdom is not the purchase of a day](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/wisdom-is-not-the-purchase-of-a-day/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Our citizenship in the United States is our national character. Our citizenship in any particular state is only our local distinction. By the latter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-citizenship-in-the-united-states-is-our-national-character-our/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [Suspicion is the companion of mean souls, and the bane of all good society.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/suspicion-is-the-companion-of-mean-souls-and-the-bane-of-all-good/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [“To pass from the extremes of danger to safety-from the tumult of war to the tranquility of peace, though sweet in contemplation, requires a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/to-pass-from-the-extremes-of-danger-to-safety-from-the-tumult-of-war/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) > [What more does man want to know than that the hand or power that made these things is divine, is omnipotent? Let him believe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/what-more-does-man-want-to-know-than-that-the-hand-or-power-that-made/) [Thomas Paine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) [Explore all 772 Thomas Paine quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/) ## 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 > [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 > [“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 > [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 > [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": "Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Thomas Paine" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fight-most-often-are-within/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Enemies" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fight-most-often-are-within/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/thomas-paine-267_enemies_our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fi_1651709.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/thomas-paine-267_enemies_our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fi_1651709.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/f45/thomas-paine-267_enemies_our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fi_1651709.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Our greatest enemies, the ones we must fight most often, are within.” — Thomas Paine", "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 Paine", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-paine/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Our greatest enemies, the ones we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fight-most-often-are-within/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-paine/our-greatest-enemies-the-ones-we-must-fight-most-often-are-within/#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 } } ] } ```