proverb · Words worth keeping
A straight enemy is better than a false friend.
A straight enemy is better than a false friend.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An open enemy preferred to a false friend contrasts visible opposition with concealed betrayal. The saying values clarity about a relationship.
What the words are saying
A responsible reading does not recommend hostility or assume openness makes an opponent safe. A useful application examines actual conduct and honesty without dividing every relationship into friend or enemy. Boundaries may be needed in either case, and disagreement can coexist with respect.
Everyday example
Someone evaluates a relationship’s conduct rather than relying on a friendly label or declaring every critic an enemy.
When to use it
Use it to examine honesty and trust without endorsing hostility.
What it does not mean
No safety guaranteed by open opposition or fixed relationship category is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
Greece
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin.- Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 813; PDF page 72; collection label: Greece
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Greece