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Daily Inspiration Quote by Winston Churchill

"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something sometime in your life"

About this Quote

Churchill makes hostility sound like a credential, and that’s precisely the point. “You have enemies? Good.” opens with a brusque reversal: what most people confess as a problem is reframed as evidence of agency. The clipped Q-and-A rhythm feels like wartime briefing-room rhetoric, designed to stiffen spines and quiet second-guessing. It’s not a lullaby; it’s a goad.

The intent is moral triage. In moments when consensus becomes a fetish, Churchill argues that conflict is often the price of conviction. “Stood up for something” casts politics not as branding or management but as posture: a physical act of refusal. “Sometime in your life” lands the jab. It implies that a life without enemies is less peaceful than empty, a record of constant accommodation. The subtext flatters the listener into courage while also warning against the narcotic of being liked.

Context matters because Churchill’s public persona was forged in high-stakes opposition: party switches, bitter parliamentary fights, and, most famously, the lonely years warning about Hitler while many preferred appeasement. In that climate, enemies weren’t incidental; they were the visible consequence of taking positions that disrupted comfortable narratives. The line also functions as preemptive armor. If you’re being attacked, it offers a way to interpret the noise as confirmation rather than deterrent.

There’s a hard-edged ethic underneath: virtue isn’t measured by harmony but by the willingness to incur costs. It’s Churchillian consolation with teeth.

Quote Details

TopicLeadership
Source
Later attribution: The Good Book (Jawara D. King, 2017) modern compilation
Text match: 95.00%   Provider: Google Books
Evidence:
... Winston Churchill said , " You have enemies ? Good . That means you've stood up for something , sometime in your life . " Mother Teresa ( 1910-1997 ) showed the way when she said , " Life is an opportunity , benefit from it . Life is a ...
Other candidates (2)
The crisis (Churchill, Winston, 1871-1947, Barnes..., 1924) primary40.8%
or came and virginia looked into his face and divined that he had something to tell her he sat but a fe
Winston Churchill (Winston Churchill) compilation38.6%
you have only to go right on and at the end of the road be it short or long victory and honor will be
FeaturedThis quote was our Quote of the Day on October 8, 2025
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Citation Formats

APA Style (7th ed.)
Churchill, Winston. (2026, February 16). You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something sometime in your life. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-have-enemies-good-that-means-youve-stood-up-27834/

Chicago Style
Churchill, Winston. "You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something sometime in your life." FixQuotes. February 16, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-have-enemies-good-that-means-youve-stood-up-27834/.

MLA Style (9th ed.)
"You have enemies? Good. That means you've stood up for something sometime in your life." FixQuotes, 16 Feb. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/you-have-enemies-good-that-means-youve-stood-up-27834/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2026.

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You Have Enemies? Good. - Winston Churchill
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About the Author

Winston Churchill

Winston Churchill (November 30, 1874 - January 24, 1965) was a Statesman from England.

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