--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had rather have everybody on my side…" description: "\"I had rather have everybody on my side than be armed to the teeth.\" — Woodrow Wilson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/woodrow-wilson-534_armed_i-had-rather-have-everybody-on-my-side-t_1066521.png" --- # I had rather have everybody on my side than be armed to… ![“I had rather have everybody on my side than be armed to the teeth.” quote by Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/woodrow-wilson-534_armed_i-had-rather-have-everybody-on-my-side-t_1066521.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/woodrow-wilson-534_armed_i-had-rather-have-everybody-on-my-side-t_1066521.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d71/woodrow-wilson-534_armed_i-had-rather-have-everybody-on-my-side-t_1066521.png) > “I had rather have everybody on my side than be armed to the teeth.” [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He prefers popular support over military force, valuing consensus over coercion. **In simple terms:** He wants people on his side rather than weapons. Key Takeaway Seek allies, not arms. Themes politics leadership peace Mood thoughtful reflective Type political historical When to use this quote - campaigns - negotiations - public rallies - conflict resolution Key Concepts democracy public opinion nonviolence Questions to Reflect On - How can leaders balance popular support with security needs? - When is force necessary? A Different Perspective Relying solely on support may fail without credible deterrence. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Armed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed/) [Armed Teeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/armed-teeth-2633017/) [Everybody Armed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/everybody-armed-2633016/) [Sides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sides/) [Teeth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/teeth/) ## Related quotes > [To penetrate one's being, one must go armed to the teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/to-penetrate-one-s-being-one-must-go-armed-to-the-teeth/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [To enter into your own mind you need to be armed to the teeth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-valery/to-enter-into-your-own-mind-you-need-to-be-armed-to-the-teeth/) [Paul Valery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-valery/) > [This country is armed to the teeth, and none of these African states could begin to attack South Africa.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-suzman/this-country-is-armed-to-the-teeth-and-none-of-these-african-states/) [Helen Suzman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-suzman/) > [I was armed to the teeth with a pitiful little Smith & Wesson's seven-shooter, which carried a ball like a homopathic pill, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-was-armed-to-the-teeth-with-a-pitiful-little-smith-wesson-s-seven/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“She was armed to the teeth for any onslaught of sympathy.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-sebold/she-was-armed-to-the-teeth-for-any-onslaught-of-sympathy/) [Alice Sebold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-sebold/) > [Lightly armed nations can move toward war just as easily as those which are armed to the teeth, and they will do so if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-quidde/lightly-armed-nations-can-move-toward-war-just-as-easily-as-those/) [Ludwig Quidde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-quidde/) > [We are on the path toward becoming the Sparta of the 21st century, armed to the teeth and without the capacity to care for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dennis-kucinich/we-are-on-the-path-toward-becoming-the-sparta-of-the-21st-century/) [Dennis Kucinich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dennis-kucinich/) > [Are you in pain, Frodo?' said Gandalf quietly as he rode by Frodo's side. 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To be liberty, rights must be armed with vital…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/liberty-does-not-exist-where-rights-are-on-one-side-and-power-on-the/) [Lucius Quintus Cincinnatus Lamar II](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-quintus-cincinnatus-lamar-ii/) ## More by Woodrow Wilson > [If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if fifteen minutes, three days; if half an hour, two days;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/if-i-am-to-speak-ten-minutes-i-need-a-week-for-preparation-if-fifteen/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [There is here a great melting pot in which we must compound a precious metal. 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When we resist, therefore, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/the-history-of-liberty-is-the-history-of-limitations-on-the-power-of/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [When I think of the flag… I see alternate strips of parchment upon which are written the rights of liberty and justice, and stripes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/when-i-think-of-the-flag-i-see-alternate-strips-of-parchment-upon/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [If I am to speak ten minutes, I need a week for preparation; if an hour, I am ready now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/if-i-am-to-speak-ten-minutes-i-need-a-week-for-preparation-if-an-hour/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) > [Energy in a nation is like sap in a tree; it rises from bottom up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woodrow-wilson/energy-in-a-nation-is-like-sap-in-a-tree-it-rises-from-bottom-up/) [Woodrow Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) [Explore all 492 Woodrow Wilson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woodrow-wilson/) ## More Armed quotes > [Liberty does not exist where rights are on one side and power on the other. 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I do not believe that the Armed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-pace/i-believe-that-homosexual-acts-between-individuals-are-immoral-and/) [Peter Pace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-pace/) > [“Keep in mind that without the law, we’re not a military, just an armed gang that dresses alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marko-kloos/keep-in-mind-that-without-the-law-we-re-not-a-military-just-an-armed/) [Marko Kloos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marko-kloos/) > [Laws that forbid the carrying of arms . . . disarm only those who are neither inclined nor determined to commit crimes . .…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/laws-that-forbid-the-carrying-of-arms-disarm-only-those-who-are/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [We've had Saudis and Jordanians and Pakistanis who have - and Syrians - who have been involved in armed attacks against coalition forces in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-armitage/we-ve-had-saudis-and-jordanians-and-pakistanis-who-have-and-syrians/) [Richard Armitage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-armitage/) > [Scotland forms a crucial part of our Armed Forces which should not be jeopardised by rushed cuts or a rush to the exit from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-hammond/scotland-forms-a-crucial-part-of-our-armed-forces-which-should-not-be/) [Philip Hammond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-hammond/) > [For an unarmed man may be attacked with greater confidence than an armed man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/for-an-unarmed-man-may-be-attacked-with-greater-confidence-than-an/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [“Moroccan traffic isn't like normal traffic. It's armed combat, a war of wills, in which only the very bravest have a chance to survive.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tahir-shah/moroccan-traffic-isn-t-like-normal-traffic-it-s-armed-combat-a-war-of/) [Tahir Shah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tahir-shah/) > [I have deep respect for our armed forces and jawans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-d-kumaraswamy/i-have-deep-respect-for-our-armed-forces-and-jawans/) [H. D. Kumaraswamy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-d-kumaraswamy/) > [“Neither the Russians nor the Americans were the cleverest people, or the most experienced, in the world that followed 1945. The French were rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-r-fehrenbach-2/neither-the-russians-nor-the-americans-were-the-cleverest-people-or/) [T.R. Fehrenbach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-r-fehrenbach-2/) > [“Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. 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