Saying: Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. (Suggestion for YBQ and DMP)

[Joel S. Berson]

Clearly related to camels outside pissing in (close) vs. camels
inside pissing out (closer).  Corleone as the Arab Godfather?

Joel

At 9/29/2013 07:19 PM, ADSGarson O'Toole wrote:
>The Yale Book of Quotations (2006) has an entry for the saying in the
>subject line. This first citation is to the movie The Godfather Part
>II.
>
>[Begin excerpt]
>[Michael Corleone, played by Al Pacino, speaking:]
>
>There are many things my father taught me here in this room. He taught
>me: keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
>
>The Godfather: Part II (motion picture) (1974).
>Coauthored with Francis Ford Coppola.
>[End excerpt]
>
>The Dictionary of Modern Proverbs (2012) also has an entry for the
>saying and presents the same quotation.
>
>When I was asked about this saying I found another entry in Random
>House Webster's Quotationary (2001) but the phrasing was slightly
>different. The word "keep" was repeated.
>
>[Begin excerpt]
>Keep your friends close, but keep your enemies closer.
>
>MARIO PUZO (1920-1999). Machiavellian advice from Don Corleone as
>recalled by his son Michael (played by Al Pacino), The Godfather, Part
>II (film), 1974
>[End excerpt]
>
>To resolve the discrepancy I went to youtube to watch a video clip and
>transcribed the following:
>
>http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-9W0aVz7oXE
>(Quotation is spoken at 3:22 of 4:07)
>
>[Begin transcript]
>Al Pacino: My father taught me many things here. He taught me in this
>room. He taught me: Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer.
>[End transcript]
>
>So I think Quotationary is not quite correct. YBQ and DMP have the
>core of the quotation correct, but the extended quote seems to be
>incorrect. I also checked the excellent iPhone app for the YBQ/DMP and
>it lists the same information as the DMP.
>
>So when new editions are released of the print books / ebooks / apps
>updating this entry may be a good idea. Please check my transcription
>for accuracy.
>
>Caveat: There might be more than one filmed version of this scene. I
>do not know.
>
>Garson
>
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The American Dialect Society - http://www.americandialect.org