You shall judge of a man by his foes as well as by his friends.
—Joseph Conrad, 1900
Archive
Quotes
Rivalry adds so much to the charms of one’s conquests.
—Louisa May Alcott, 1866Many need no other provocation to enmity than that they find themselves excelled.
—Samuel Johnson, 1751Rivalry is the whetstone of talent.
—Roman proverbRevenge may be wicked, but it’s natural.
—William Makepeace Thackeray, 1847Opposition may become sweet to a man when he has christened it persecution.
—George Eliot, 1857It is permitted to learn even from an enemy.
—Ovid, c. 8With the dead there is no rivalry.
—Thomas Babington Macaulay, 1839Enemies are so stimulating.
—Katharine Hepburn, 1969The men of today are born to criticize; of Achilles they see only the heel.
—Marie von Ebner-Eschenbach, 1880When a coward sees a man he can beat, he becomes hungry for a fight.
—Chinua Achebe, 1960It would seem that in history it’s never a tooth for a tooth, but a thousand, a hundred thousand for one.
—Sybille Bedford, 1963Resentment kills a fool, and envy slays the simple.
—Book of Job, c. 600 BC