[July 29, 2025] Never underestimate your enemy. The “enemy” symbolically refers to people opposed to you, those with competing ideas, desires, and missions. They could be an opposing army, a terrorist group, a strongman dictator who wants to destroy the world, or the metaphysical Devil. Know your enemy.
The enemy can be as tiny as a drunk friend trying to drive his car home after a binge of alcohol or great as a foreign nation’s tyrant running a country and planning to do your nation great harm. “
“Know your enemy” was a maxim before recorded history. Failure to know your enemy could very well lead to your death and, as well, a Darwinian demise of those around you.
In the business world, a related axiom is “Never underestimate the competition.” When we underestimate the enemy, people suffer – massacres, genocides, and holocausts occur and bring untold misery.
Historical events of the previous few centuries still reverberate throughout our social fabric. Many of the twentieth century’s horrific deaths are there for seeing; the world miscalculated Stalin, Hitler, Mussolini, and Mao.
Learn about your enemy. Learn about evil. Combined with fear and the lack of moral courage, failure to know your enemy will lead to the expansion of evil. Not maybe; if you don’t know the enemy, a dangerous game is being played.
Today, we see the worldwide growth of terror, the crushing of ideas, the rejection of Judaism and Christendom, and the labeling free speech as evil. Our response has been timid, underwhelming, and restricted mainly to the West.
An enemy is destroyed through strength and courage, never through acquiescence or appeasement. To know your enemy, you must – at least symbolically – become your enemy.
The surviving texts from the ancient world tell of a Chinese General named Sun Tzu. He wrote more than two millennia ago, “To know your enemy, you must become your enemy.”
He tells us to put ourselves in the position of our enemies so that we can understand and predict his actions.
Know his strengths and weaknesses, learn his strategies and tactics, and hold his core ideas close; that is how you can see what he will do next. Learn his behavior patterns, what he hungers for, where he is weak and strong, and his values and virtues.
Knowing these are your path to victory. Never underestimate your enemy. This means knowing your enemy but also knowing yourself and your troops. Only then can you win.
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Oldie but goodie. Thank you, sir, for putting this old and ancient wisdom here for us to consider.
Yep, and sometimes we do need to get hit upside the head as a reminder that we need to know what the obstacles are in life and how to overcome them.
Know your enemy and know yourself, and you will not be in danger in a hundred battles, is a famous sun tzu quote from The Art of War. It has a deep philosophical meaning that applies not only to war, but also to business, sports and self-development.
I couldn’t help it.
Green Day – Know Your Enemy [Official Music Video]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9IclmVdWNbI
@GregoryBoissy
It’s such an awesome song. I really enjoy that energy, the scream Billie pulls off, the video itself. Also I feel like Billie’s hair in this video reminds me of my hair right now. Only differences are: my hair is brown, poofy, and curly. Billie’s hair is black, more straight. And not poofy. Just something I noticed.❤❤❤
Chuck, you’re just too much. Thanks Buddy!
Or just buy Gen. Satterfield’s book on Amazon. And, no, I don’t get a kickback. 📖
https://www.amazon.com/55-Rules-Good-Life-Responsibility/dp/1737915529/
IMHO, this classic and mini-series by Gen. Satterfield tells us the way of a competitive world, one that is the underlying foundation to refute the growing Marxist, social democracy trend.
Gen. Satterfield is on top of the ‘know the enemy’ theme. This is an old old, actually very ancient, idea. Sun Tzu said it best,
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“If you know the enemy and know yourself, you need not fear the result of a hundred battles. If you know yourself but not the enemy, for every victory gained you will also suffer a defeat. If you know neither the enemy nor yourself, you will succumb in every battle.”
― Sun Tzu, The Art of War
Nothng like a little Sun Tzu in t he morning along with my hound dog.
When it comes to propaganda, it is often best employed by the underdog in the fight. For example, Nazi Germany was down before WWII started and the Nazi’s are best known by the incessant propaganda. Same for the USSR and now Russia. Propaganda matters a great deal.
You had better know your enemy and what might your enemy’s plans because they are coming for you and nothng is stopping them from beating the crap out of you on every front that you are engaged. Wake up people. If you don’t know them, then you’re screwed.
kick ’em in the ass
old warrior, one of the reasons that I read this leadership forum comments is to see what you think and, by now, I know what you’re going to say and yet I still love it. Thanks. Cowboy 🤠
We all love ❤️ old warrior.
Good thinking about being a professional and a good person to boot.
Like yesterday’s article on the “propaganda war” it is crucial to live such a life that you can see thru it. I know too many who are sucked into the Leftist maw that they cannot see that they are being used as a tool for something far more sinister. Should I tell them they are being used and will be spit at, at the first sign they are not a true believer in Marxist Leftist causes? That is one question I’ve yet to fully answer.
Tell them they are “tools” or fools and let the chips fall as they may. That will be an adventure