proverb · Words worth keeping
A thousand friends are too few; one enemy is one too many.
A thousand friends are too few; one enemy is one too many.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
A thousand friends called too few and one enemy too many favour companionship over antagonism. The saying exaggerates the value of welcome relationships and the cost of hostility.
What the words are saying
A responsible reading does not require collecting friends or pleasing everyone. Some opposition follows a fair boundary or justified action, and relationships should respect consent and capacity. The counts are rhetorical, not measured targets or a reason to ignore harmful conduct.
Everyday example
Someone values a few supportive relationships while accepting that a necessary boundary may draw disagreement.
When to use it
Use it to discuss companionship without a popularity requirement.
What it does not mean
No numerical friendship target or duty to avoid all opposition 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
- Not established
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 514; PDF page 48; collection label: Ottoman Empire/Turkey
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Ottoman Empire/Turkey