Does anyone know the meaning of this quote about enemies?

Question

"Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?" -Abraham Lincoln.

I don't understand how you destroy them.

I can see how you make them weaker, but is that it?

Answer 1

It says you are not destroying them, you are turning them into friends.  They are no longer your enemy, but you have not destroyed them, just changed them into friends.

Answer 2

It means that you are defeating your enemies not by killing or hurting them with words or actions, but destoying them by making them your friends, and thus they are no longer your enemy...thus defeat!

Answer 3

This quote is similar to "kill them with kindness".  When you are nice to your enemies, it makes them even madder than if you were mean to them.

Answer 4

Ok first of all, its a a rhetorical question. Which means hes asking himself if another person a question to which he knows the answer. That being that yes he does of course "destroy" them as enemies.

I dont believe Lincoln actually believed he was "destroying" his enemies by befriending them. From a philosophical point of view he is right. Think about it. Lets say you and i have a punch up we used to be friends we are now enemies cos i stole some money from you and we had a punch up etc.

for years you tell people how much you hate me, you want to see me fail, when you see me in the street you chase me and i see you as my enemy correct?

Well lets say i bring you a gift one day, i bring you your money back along with some flowers, and a sorry note. Just this small act should turn you around even in the slightest so much so that you are no longer my enemy because i have befriended or tried to befirend you. Do you see how this takes away your powers as an enemy?

Its like the old saying "If you cant beat em join em".

In spirituality they teach that whatever you focus on will grow. We know that in this world everything is made of energy and energy at its core is a vibrational frequency. Thoughts are energy so they are also frequency. Well by focusing on a person as an enemy you are attracting that energy because why? Well watch the secret... but in short frequency attracts other frequencies of the same kind. Example, you never so bad people hanging with priests and stay at home mums do ya?

All in all what Lincoln was trying to say is that he is destroying the nature of the enemy by befriending them. How can your friend be your enemy? Its not possible.

Answer 5

Well if you make friends of your enemy, surely they begin to look dumb treating you unkindly which destroys them when people realize how truly cruel they are.

Answer 6

You enemies hate when you are being friends with then because they expect you to hate them back.

Your just making yourself better by showing them they don't bother you at all by then being your enemies.

I know wat it means but im not sure how to word it but I tried.

=)

Answer 7

I believe what he is saying about destroying his enemies is that because when you have a friend they can not be an enemy an longer- thus they (the enemy) have been destroyed.

Answer 8

i think it means that if you make friends with them, you/they don't want to be enemies anymore, so then instead of being enemies, you're friends...

i talk in circles... excuse me if you don't understand.

Answer 9

Well it is a quote, not to be taken literately,but I think what he's going for is,

If your enemy has becomes your friend,then they are no longer your enemy, they are not just weakened, they are essentially destroyed. Ask yourself, do you have any friends you would consider a weak enemy?

Answer 10

There's another quote from Sun-tzu  who was a Chinese general & military strategist in around 400 BC that goes

" Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer."

I think Lincoln was playing on that saying and he meant you should  know who is your enemy and then place yourself as close as possible to that enemy so that you are always aware of what he is doing. It was a political strategy.

Answer 11

Simply explained, when you make a friend of someone, they cease to be your enemy, thus the statement that your enemy has been destroyed (ie eliminated, ceases to exist), the enemy has been "destroyed" by virtue of the fact that that particular enemy is no longer an enemy to you.  The term "destroyed" is not intended to be literal, but simply another way to state that the "enemy" you once had, no longer exists.   Make sense?

Answer 12

if you make friends with someone that is your enemy then you are destroying your enemy because the person you befriended is no longer a threat or a pain. they are a companion... get it?

Answer 13

Its another way to say, I keep my friends close but my enemies closer.  When you bring someone into your "fold" so to speak, you learn about what makes them tick, how to hurt them, how to attack them, how to manipulate them better than you would if they remained strangers to you.

Answer 14

As friends, they are no longer enemies...

Answer 15

i think it just means like you ignore them and not sink to their level by reacting the same way, that way you destroy them becuase they have nothing to gain from you if you forget about them and just treat them like a friend...

Answer 16

It is saying that if you make them your friends they are no longer your enemy therefore you have destroyed the enemy by making them your friend. Abraham Lincoln said it because the bible says to love your enemies.

Answer 17

being friends with your enemies is usually a trick that can lead to something bad for them. that is probably what it means!

Answer 18

I'm guessing because when you are their friend,they are no longer enemies to you,therefor the act of becoming friends deletes the title 'enemy'

Answer 19

OH HAHA.

mkay so like your being the nice one & trying to be friends with them & being kind, while they are being all mean & stuff.

So its like making them look like the bad people making them feel bad.

Answer 20

Well, if they're your friends, they're not your enemies anymore.

Answer 21

when you destroy your enemy they are no longer enemys.

when you make your enemys your friend they are no longer enemys.

when your enemys are now freinds they are no longer enemys  like if they were no longer there as enemys

Answer 22

By destroying them he meant killing them but if he makes them his friend then they can compromise their differences.

Answer 23

You "destroy" them AS ENEMIES - if you make them friends instead of enemies, then your enemies, in their role as enemies, are gone.  You've destroyed their "enemy" role by converting them into something else.

Answer 24

Yeah its when u destroy them as enemies because now they are not enemies they are ur friends!!!!

Answer 25

i will try my best to answer it. What he is saying is. If someone dislikes you or wants to cause harm to you. Instead of hurting them back or killing them. It is best to make peace with them and become friends. By doing that you did destroy your enemy mentally. And at the same time gained a friend.

Answer 26

this means when you make friends with your enemies they are not your enemies anymore. they are your friends. why waste your energy hating someone when you can fix things?

thats the best way to cancel out an enemy.

Answer 27

When you become their friend, they are no longer your enemy... therefore you've destroyed them (they no longer exist).

Answer 28

It means that they are no longer "enemies" when they become "friends."  They are enemies no more.....Their status as "enemies" is destroyed....

Answer 29

An enemy is someone that you dislike or who dislikes you. A friend is someone you like and trust. If you make your enemy your friend then the enemy is destroyed and replaced by a friend. Same person but better

Answer 30

If you turn your enemy into your ally or friend, then they are no longer your enemy, therefore you can consider that enemy destroyed.

Answer 31

It means they are no longer your enemies, they are now your friends. Therefore, you have "destroyed" your enemies - they no longer trouble you, as they are now your friends.