--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: May God defend me from my friends: I can…" description: "\"May God defend me from my friends: I can defend myself from my enemies.\" — Voltaire" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/voltaire-173_defend_may-god-defend-me-from-my-friends-i-can_3130218.png" --- # May God defend me from my friends: I can defend myself… ![“May God defend me from my friends: I can defend myself from my enemies.” quote by Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/voltaire-173_defend_may-god-defend-me-from-my-friends-i-can_3130218.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/voltaire-173_defend_may-god-defend-me-from-my-friends-i-can_3130218.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/415/voltaire-173_defend_may-god-defend-me-from-my-friends-i-can_3130218.png) > “May God defend me from my friends: I can defend myself from my enemies.” [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker trusts friends more than enemies, fearing betrayal from those close. **In simple terms:** Friends can be more dangerous than foes. Key Takeaway Beware of trusting friends blindly. Themes trust friendship betrayal self‑reliance Mood cautious reflective Type aphilosophical advice When to use this quote - political alliances - personal relationships - business partnerships Key Concepts human nature social dynamics Questions to Reflect On - Who in your life might unintentionally harm you? - How do you balance trust and caution? A Different Perspective Friends may also be allies; not all friends are harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) ## Related quotes > [May God defend me from myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/may-god-defend-me-from-myself/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [God defend me from myself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-de-montaigne/god-defend-me-from-myself/) [Michel de Montaigne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-de-montaigne/) > [Men have always need of god! A god to defend them against other men..](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francis-picabia/men-have-always-need-of-god-a-god-to-defend-them-against-other-men/) [Francis Picabia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francis-picabia/) > [“Live so your Friends can defend you, But never have to.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-h-glasow/live-so-your-friends-can-defend-you-but-never-have-to/) [Arnold H. Glasow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-h-glasow/) > [We need, from time to time, to use military force or all of the resources at our command in order to defend the nation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-cheney/we-need-from-time-to-time-to-use-military-force-or-all-of-the/) [Dick Cheney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-cheney/) > [Lord, defend me from my friends; I can account for my enemies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-d-hericault/lord-defend-me-from-my-friends-i-can-account-for-my-enemies/) Charles D Hericault > [Live so that your friends can defend you but never have to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-h-glasow/live-so-that-your-friends-can-defend-you-but-never-have-to/) [Arnold H. Glasow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-h-glasow/) > [Being a black belt from the Nogueira brothers, I have the obligation to always defend myself well on the ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anderson-silva/being-a-black-belt-from-the-nogueira-brothers-i-have-the-obligation/) [Anderson Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anderson-silva/) > [My parents taught me the way to deal with being picked on was to be compassionate. I had to defend myself physically, but I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saul-rubinek/my-parents-taught-me-the-way-to-deal-with-being-picked-on-was-to-be/) [Saul Rubinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saul-rubinek/) > [On a few words of what is real in the world I nourish myself. I defend myself against Whatever remains.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stevens/on-a-few-words-of-what-is-real-in-the-world-i-nourish-myself-i-defend/) [Wallace Stevens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stevens/) > [“...I long ago gave up defending humanity. It's beyond me on most days to defend myself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lionel-shriver/i-long-ago-gave-up-defending-humanity-it-s-beyond-me-on-most-days-to/) [Lionel Shriver](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lionel-shriver/) > [“One day I had nothing but my childhood to defend myself…..”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sameh-elsayed/one-day-i-had-nothing-but-my-childhood-to-defend-myself/) [Sameh Elsayed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sameh-elsayed/) > [For me, I don't have to defend myself that I am not a racist. I won't go in that discussion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maxime-bernier/for-me-i-don-t-have-to-defend-myself-that-i-am-not-a-racist-i-won-t/) [Maxime Bernier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maxime-bernier/) > [I cannot defend myself during a trial if there is no charge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sooraj-pancholi/i-cannot-defend-myself-during-a-trial-if-there-is-no-charge/) [Sooraj Pancholi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sooraj-pancholi/) > [Swearing's my release. It's the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-pirlo/swearing-s-my-release-it-s-the-one-weapon-i-have-to-defend-myself/) [Andrea Pirlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-pirlo/) ## More by Voltaire > [In every province, the chief occupations, in order of importance, are lovemaking, malicious gossip, and talking nonsense.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/in-every-province-the-chief-occupations-in-order-of-importance-are/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Fanaticism, to which men are so much inclined, has always served not only to render them more brutalized but more wicked.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/fanaticism-to-which-men-are-so-much-inclined-has-always-served-not/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [History is the study of the world's crime](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/history-is-the-study-of-the-world-s-crime/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [We’re neither pure, nor wise, nor good; we do the best we know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/we-re-neither-pure-nor-wise-nor-good-we-do-the-best-we-know/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is with books as with men: a very small number play a great part, the rest are lost in the multitude.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-with-books-as-with-men-a-very-small-number-play-a-great-part/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Meslier was the most singular phenomenon ever seen among all the meteors fatal to the Christian religion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/meslier-was-the-most-singular-phenomenon-ever-seen-among-all-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Every sensible man, every honorable man, must hold the Christian sect in horror." "Christianity is the most ridiculous, the most absurd and bloody religion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/every-sensible-man-every-honorable-man-must-hold-the-christian-sect/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Being unable to make people more reasonable, I preferred to be happy away from them](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/being-unable-to-make-people-more-reasonable-i-preferred-to-be-happy/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [When his highness sends a ship to Egypt, does he trouble his head whether the mice on board are at their ease or not?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/when-his-highness-sends-a-ship-to-egypt-does-he-trouble-his-head/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Madness is to think of too many things in succession too fast, or of one thing too exclusively.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/madness-is-to-think-of-too-many-things-in-succession-too-fast-or-of/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [God gave us the gift of life; it is up to us to give ourselves the gift of living well.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/god-gave-us-the-gift-of-life-it-is-up-to-us-to-give-ourselves-the/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [It is not inequality which is the real misfortune, it is dependence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/it-is-not-inequality-which-is-the-real-misfortune-it-is-dependence/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Providence has given us hope and sleep as a compensation for the many cares of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/providence-has-given-us-hope-and-sleep-as-a-compensation-for-the-many/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Men use thought only to justify their wrong doings, and employ speech only to conceal their thoughts.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/men-use-thought-only-to-justify-their-wrong-doings-and-employ-speech/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) > [Work spares us from three evils: boredom, vice, and need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/voltaire/work-spares-us-from-three-evils-boredom-vice-and-need/) [Voltaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) [Explore all 934 Voltaire quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/voltaire/) ## More Defend quotes > [My first Olympics memory was watching Haile Gebrselassie in Sydney 2000. 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It's the one weapon I have to defend myself against destiny when it elects to strike without pity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-pirlo/swearing-s-my-release-it-s-the-one-weapon-i-have-to-defend-myself/) [Andrea Pirlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-pirlo/) > [Having kids is the deal-breaker on shyness! Once you have a baby, you learn to speak up loud and clear to protect them, defend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lori-foster/having-kids-is-the-deal-breaker-on-shyness-once-you-have-a-baby-you/) [Lori Foster](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lori-foster/) > [We will defend ourselves, and we have full rights to do so. 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