Zoroaster — "If one would have a friend, then must one also be willing to wage war for him: a…"
If one would have a friend, then must one also be willing to wage war for him: and in order to wage war, one must be capable of being an enemy.
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More from Zoroaster
"The wicked shall be punished, but the righteous shall be rewarded."
"Reply to thine enemy with gentleness."
"The mind is a powerful tool. Use it wisely. Or at least to remember where you parked your camel."
"Lovingly, O Ahura, I pray to You who are the most excellent, and in harmony with utmost Righteousness."
"May the good spirit prevail over the evil spirit in all hearts."
About Zoroaster (c. 1500-1000 BCE (debated))
Iranian prophet who founded Zoroastrianism, the first major religion of cosmic dualism between good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Angra Mainyu). Closely associated with The Buddha (near-contemporary Eastern moral-cosmological revolutionary). For an intellectual contrast, see Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher of 'beyond good and evil' — Nietzsche appropriated Zarathustra's name for Thus Spoke Zarathustra (1883) precisely to invert the original's moral cosmology — the historical Zoroaster founded the good-versus-evil framework Nietzsche's character announces the end of.
Details
Context: Ethical teaching on friendship and enmity
Date: c. 1500-1200 BCE (approximate)
War & ViolenceVerification
Unverifiable
Found in 1 providers: gemini
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Understanding this quote
What it means
True friendship demands more than warmth; it requires the willingness to fight for someone when they are threatened or wronged. You cannot genuinely protect a friend unless you are also capable of standing as an enemy to those who would harm them. Loyalty without the capacity for confrontation is hollow. Real bonds are forged by those strong enough to oppose, not just embrace.
Relevance to Zoroaster
Zoroaster founded a faith built on the cosmic struggle between Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu, framing existence as active combat between truth and falsehood. He demanded his followers choose sides and fight for righteousness, not remain passive. This saying mirrors his dualistic worldview: moral clarity requires opposition, and love for the good entails hostility toward evil forces that threaten it.
The era
Zoroaster lived in ancient Persia amid tribal raids, cattle-rustling, and warring clans where survival depended on loyal alliances. Religious life was polytheistic and often bloody, and protection came through kinship bonds that obligated members to defend one another with force. In that violent Bronze Age setting, friendship was not sentimental but a binding pact of mutual armed defense, making his linkage of loyalty and warfare a concrete social reality.
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