But really, why would you want to keep your friends close and your enemies closer?
Knowing too well that anyone who is your enemy does not wish for anything good for you?
Well, in most cases, you need to keep your friends close and your enemies closer.
In this post, I will share with you who made this statement.
A lot of people are asking to know who said:
“Keep your friends close and your enemies closer”
I will share that with you in this post.
Many of us are unaware that this proverb is considerably older than we think.
I’m not sure who created the expression, but Abraham Lincoln used it in reference to his cabinet, which he filled with political enemies.
Lincoln was quoted as saying:
“The best way to destroy an enemy is to make them a friend.”
“The Godfather, Part II” is the source of the quote.
It was written for that film’s screenplay, and no one has been able to verify that it is an old proverb.
Now, I’ll point out that comparable ideas have been expressed in the past, but never quite like this.
In “The Prince,” for example, Machiavelli discusses the need for new princes to pay closer attention to their enemies than to their friends.
In context, he’s talking about the possibility of converting old enemies to your side rather than sticking close to them to keep an eye on them.
I’ve seen other quotes such as:
“listen to your enemies, they’re the first to notice your faults”
“love your enemies”
I’ve never encountered a quote before the Godfather series that suggests that keeping your enemies near to you gives you a tactical advantage.
I’d like to add my two cents because this Godfather quote has a deeper meaning that isn’t discussed in the other articles and isn’t referenced in any of the references to previous works.
Haven’t answered your question yet?
Let’s get there…
Who said keep your friends close and your enemies closer
“Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” was said by Michael Corleone.
The implication of this phrase was not only that you should be well-versed about your enemies.
That’s merely the obvious meaning; the quote’s significance comes from what it does in addition.
The speaker implies that one should treat one’s enemies as one would treat one’s friends, if not more so, by making a direct analogy between the treatment of one’s friends and the treatment of one’s enemies.
You ask why?
Not just because one must know one’s enemies well—which is clearly true—but also because one does not want one’s enemies to know that they are, in fact, enemies.
This is exactly what it means to keep your enemies closer than your friends.
This is why this quote has managed to stick to the human psyche so tenaciously. None of the prior authors’ writings come close to making this deeper reference.