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Keep your friends close and your enemies closer

Meaning: It's wise to monitor those who might harm you.

Origin: Often attributed to Sun Tzu, popularized by The Godfather Part II.

Translations

  • French: Garde tes amis près de toi, et tes ennemis encore plus près (literally: Keep your friends near you, and your enemies even nearer)
  • Spanish: Mantén a tus amigos cerca y a tus enemigos más cerca (literally: Keep your friends close and your enemies closer)
  • Japanese: 友は近くに、敵はもっと近くに (Tomo wa chikaku ni, teki wa motto chikaku ni) (literally: Friends close, enemies closer)

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