keep your friends close, and your enemies closer
Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.
Also seen as: keep your friends close and your enemies closer
Sense 1
One should be politic to the point of employing duplicity, lulling one's enemies into a false sense of collaboration.
Nên duy trì mối quan hệ gần gũi với bạn bè và còn gần gũi hơn với kẻ thù
Machine-translated — suggest a fix
Sources & notes
Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-30 via kaikki.org).
Sense 2
Traditional English proverbial phrase; full definition pending editorial review.
Sources & notes
Listed on Wikipedia “List of proverbial phrases” (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-07-29); definition pending editorial review.
Common questions
What does “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” mean?
One should be politic to the point of employing duplicity, lulling one's enemies into a false sense of collaboration.
Is “keep your friends close, and your enemies closer” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.