keep your friends close and your enemies closer
KEEP yer FRENDS KLOHS and yer EN-uh-meez KLOH-ser
kiːp jər frɛndz kloʊs ænd jər ˈɛnəmiːz ˈkloʊsərListen
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Dictionary meaning
the strategic advice that one should maintain awareness of and relationships with adversaries even more carefully than with allies, because it is from enemies that the greatest threats to one's position come; attributed to Sun Tzu and popularised by The Godfather Part II, the maxim argues for keeping political opponents in view, in negotiation, or even within one's own coalition rather than at a distance where their actions cannot be monitored or anticipated; it reflects a realpolitik understanding of power as requiring constant situational awareness of threats
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