“Keep your friends close; keep your enemies closer,” says Sun Tzu. Online, our adversaries get closer while our friends stay the same. Social media connections like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook may not be who how they seem.
“Keep Your Friends Close And Your Enemies Closer” Meaning & Origins
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” indicates that while friendship is crucial, staying on top of your enemies is much more critical since it helps you to protect yourself in the event of an attack. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is a quote from one of the most well-known books of all time, “The Art of War.”
Sun Zhu, perhaps one of the greatest Eastern philosophers of all time, wrote “The Art of War.” Many eastern faiths and systems of thinking have been influenced by his teachings.
While most of us associate early philosophers with Plato and Aristotle, they were as preoccupied in Asia with understanding how the universe works and the essence of existence. “The Art of War” is one of the most highly regarded philosophical works to this day.
Summary:
Sunzi was a Chinese general who is perhaps best known as the author of The Art of War, one of the earliest works on military strategy. Although Sunzi penned this essay thousands of years ago, it has had an impact on a number of international leaders during the last century.
“Keep Your Friends Close and Your Enemies Closer” in The Godfather
The Godfather is one film that makes use of the phrase “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.” One of the most enduringly popular films of all time.
The GodFather is entirely focused on the gangster. As you may guess, being in the gangster is a hazardous lifestyle that requires knowledge of your trade-in order to live. The gangster is perpetually “at war” with someone, whether it be with lesser gangs, companies, or governments.
The Godfather: Part II demonstrates that a sequel may actually be better than the original, continuing the narrative of gangster lord Michael Corleone as he tries to maintain control of his underground empire.
Additionally, the sequel provides flashbacks to his father Vito Corleone’s early years in Sicily. This comment occurs following Michael’s murder attempt when he encourages one of his underlings to appear to be friends with the man who ordered the hit.
Being familiar with the rules of war is critical in that line of employment. This might explain why a character in one scene says the famous remark, “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer.”
Why Is It Important to Keep Friends Close and Enemies Closer?
This well-known maxim was not initially expressed by Michael Corleone of The Godfather. Indeed, Machiavelli derived it from “The Prince,” the canonical tutorial on how to be a tyrant. There are several critical reasons to keep your enemies close:
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You may learn a great deal from someone you despise. Indeed, my finest learning opportunities are not usually through friends. Frequently, it comes from antagonists, adversaries, or fence-sitters. They contribute a unique worldview, perspective, and/or ideas to a shared subject. There are several instances in which such a person can assist me in refining my thoughts and viewpoint on an issue.
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You must keep your enemies close in order to comprehend their points of view and objectives. One of the persuasive methods I learned from Bill Howell years ago was the significance of assembling a diverse “panel” of around six persons to reflect the range of commitments or viewpoints on a topic. I was well on my way to success if I could design my proposal in such a manner.
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When your enemies are close, it makes it easier for your allies to collaborate. Allies are frequently the least useful when it comes to examining your thoughts. Additionally, your allies may have just as much difficulty dealing with your adversary as you do, which is why you’re friends. However, your friends will respect you and find it simpler to cooperate with you if you demonstrate a thorough understanding of the terrain—and how to appeal to your adversary’s self-interest.
Determining your adversary’s motivations requires a large degree of guessing. One of the most effective methods to learn about someone is to see how he persuades others. People desire the world to conform to their expectations and forecasts.
As a result, when they seek to convince others, they employ strategies that are compelling to them. Observe them, listen to them, and evaluate their words and their delivery. This frequently reveals their hobbies and ideals.
Naturally, this need meant that each individual had to be close enough to me to be understood. To be honest, I frequently understood my enemies better than my friends.
Finally, it should be stated that you cannot keep an enemy close unless you understand and share at least some of your adversary’s interests or beliefs, are occasionally upfront about your disagreements, and are prepared to communicate with that person in a social context.
In these situations, it’s critical to ascertain what the individual desires and what you can provide for them. Second, it’s critical to determine the resources you have to offer them in exchange for them giving you what you want. Bear in mind that among the resources available to every one of us are information and contacts.
Summary:
If you look closely enough, you will always find a few common interests and ideals with your enemies. While the majority of us enjoy discussing our differences, the reality is that we are far more alike than we are different. Additionally, this implies that you are capable of genuine conversation. However, this also implies that you can listen to and observe that person.
Is It OK to Keep Your Enemies Close?
When it comes to analyzing your ideas, allies are frequently the most useless. If your adversaries are close, it makes collaboration much simpler for your partners.
Additionally, your coworkers may have just as much difficulty dealing with you as you do, which is why you’re pals. The Godfather quotation contains an extra aspect. However, there are situations when keeping enemies close might be counterproductive.
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” famed novelist “Michael Corleone” said. The quote’s message was not simply that you must be mindful of your foes. It’s a straightforward interpretation, yet what makes this remark so effective is how it acts in another way.
By making a clear comparison between how one treats friends and enemies, the speaker demonstrates that one must treat enemies in the same manner that one treats acquaintances, if not more so.
That is not just because one must be aware of their enemies, which is true, but also for a more basic reason: one does not want to alert their enemies to the fact that they are enemies. That is why it is necessary to keep one’s enemies close to one’s family members.
That is why this quote has been ingrained in the human psyche. No prior author’s work even comes close to drawing this link.
Summary:
This is why it is close to keep bringing your enemies into contact with your family members. That is not just because one must be aware of one’s enemies, which is necessary, but also for the more basic reason that one does not want to alert one’s enemies to the fact that they are enemies.
Some Useful Tips for Turning an Enemy to a Friend
Almost generally, one of the biggest and most difficult ethical requirements is to love one’s enemies. Many individuals disregard this directive as unrealistic, difficult, or even impossible to obey. One method to put this concept into practice is to understand how to convert an adversary into a friend. Here are some useful hints:
1. Sincere Sorrows
Have you ever heard an apology that began, “I apologize if I upset you,” or “I apologize but.” This form of apology will not work if you wish to win the friendship of an adversary. You must honestly apologize for your involvement in the conflict, even if you believe you are not at fault. You must accept all accountability for it. You must express regret.
2. Identify What You Have in Common.
Whether it’s a shared interest in a sport or a comparable pastime, capitalizing on shared interests is an excellent approach to connect with a potential buddy. Encourage them to share information about themselves and their hobbies. Inviting them to a game is a good idea. Convince them to join you in a pastime.
3. Forgive The Guy
Inform them that you have forgiven them for their wrongdoing. Genuinely forgive them in your heart. They may continue to be antagonistic for some time. However, with persistence and a forgiving attitude toward them, they will finally respond to your desire for reconciliation and harmony.
4. Concentrate On Their Positive Qualities
This may be difficult to believe, but it is possible to uncover positive characteristics in practically everyone. When we have quarrels and disagreements with others, it is all too easy to become fixated on the bad features of the person who provoked our reaction. This blinds us to their positive attributes.
Make an effort to go outside of this framework and you will be able to recognize their positive characteristics once again. Make this your primary objective. Praise them sincerly for the virtues you notice in them.
5. Love the Character
Yes, we have reached the most difficult stage. We believe it is hard to love our enemies because we have a misunderstanding of what love is. It is not something that happens effortlessly, without difficulty or sacrifice. This is a superficial and ephemeral form of love.
If it does not develop into something more substantial, it is not genuine love. True love is a purposeful choice that frequently takes concentration and effort. Decide in your heart to love the person you currently see as an adversary. Decide to treat them with kindness on a daily basis.
Concluding Marks:
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer” is a Chinese saying from ancient times. That is, to keep abreast of your opponents’ activities. This will lessen the likelihood of an attack and prepare you in the case that one does occur. “The Art of War” is a book about military combat.