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About this quote

What does it mean?
True victory requires reconciliation, not just defeat.
In plain terms
Ending conflict means transforming enmity into friendship.
What can you take from it?
Turn enemies into friends to end a conflict for good.

Where it applies

  • ending a war
  • healing a feud
  • political reconciliation

Putting it to work

  • negotiate peace
  • forgive enemies
  • build bridges

Questions to consider

  • When is forgiveness dangerous?
  • Can peace exist without friendship?

Another view

Sometimes enemies cannot or should not be trusted.

More from Eric Hoffer

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  2. All mass movements avail themselves of action as a means of unification. The conflicts a mass movement seeks and incites serve not only to down its enemies but…

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  3. In all my life I never competed for fortune, for a woman, or for fame. I learned to write in total isolation. My first work was also my best, and the first thi…

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