keep your friends close, and your enemies closer

proverb

One should maintain outwardly friendly relations even with their adversaries to give them a false sense of trust, thereby making it easier to closely monitor their intentions and anticipate their actions.

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Meanings

proverb
  1. One should maintain outwardly friendly relations even with their adversaries to give them a false sense of trust, thereby making it easier to closely monitor their intentions and anticipate their actions.
Cite this entry
APA

keep your friends close, and your enemies closer. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20your%20friends%20close%2C%20and%20your%20enemies%20closer

MLA

“keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20your%20friends%20close%2C%20and%20your%20enemies%20closer. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/keep%20your%20friends%20close%2C%20and%20your%20enemies%20closer.

Source: keep your friends close, and your enemies closer on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.