Backstabbing Quotes

“Watching my back is the perfect opportunity to stick a knife in it.”
― Holly Black, The Wicked King

“He brushed his lips against her forehead as he drove the knife deeper into her back.”
― R.F. Kuang, The Dragon Republic

“Many times, you are the single most significant and glorious thing that has ever happened in the lives of some people; they sit around and talk about you over and over again throughout the years while you are out there living your life, every step that you take and every kiss that you make having absolutely nothing to do with them, at all!”
― C. JoyBell C.

“You want a friend in this city? [Washington, DC.] Get a dog!”
― Harry S. Truman

“One of the nicest things you can do is to speak kind words about someone behind his or her back.”
― Molly Friedenfeld, The Book of Simple Human Truths

“There is no fall greater than the one from a burnt bridge.”
― Carlos Wallace, Life Is Not Complicated-You Are: Turning Your Biggest Disappointments into Your Greatest Blessings

“If you see something dynamic in another person, speak up. It's time to stop letting haters set the precedent, while negativity becomes the default setting.”
― Andrena Sawyer

“The idea of a small circle, of an exalted and loyal sect, except with a traitor infiltrated at its core, an informant who's not foreign to the sect, but constitutes an essential part of its structure---this was the true organizational form of any small society. One must act knowing that there's a traitor infiltrated in the ranks.”
― Ricardo Piglia, Blanco nocturno

“Loyalty comes before price or prize. If not, the ties that bind become constricting garrottes as creeping spinal flesh awaits a dagger's thrust.”
― Stewart Stafford

“Enemies are always born in your bloodlines. When in doubt always turn your head into your bloodlines. You will definitely find a solution to your problem!”
― Fahad Basheer

“A stab from a friend cuts deeper than a stab from a foe.”
― Amit Kalantri, Wealth of Words

“I maintain that, if everyone knew what others said about him, there would not be four friends in the world; this is evident from the quarrels caused by occasional indiscreet disclosures.”
― Blaise Pascal, Pensées

“People on the top seldom have enemies, it's most often the flattering 'friend' who stab them in the back.”
― Amit Abraham

“I will let you laugh now,
I understand you think you are wise,
But within you fear thou whom shall rise;
Take the wine,
Realize I am divine,
And run while you may still be fine.
I am awake now.
You have awoken the beast,
And now you are the one who must be dead.”
― Anonymous

“(...) I realised they were shooting real bullets into the back of people”
― BBC World News interviewee

“Those who wag their tails are not dogs but those who bark and bite are mad dogs.”
― Amit Abraham

“If you keep the creek dry then you won’t have to worry about ‘muddying the waters.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough

“too often i was afraid
to test the limits
of kindness
without inviting
betrayal
or backstab”
― Hanna Abi Akl, Memory

“Baron Danthe watched her as she stared up at it. “I do thank you for alerting me.”
“I was alerting the Emperor.”
“Of course.” Danthe chuckled. “Such a life we lead. Did you ever think that stabbing people in the back would be a way to get ahead?”
“It’s the way the game is played,” Sloane said, a little surprised at his openness. “I prefer flying my starship.”
“And defending the Empire against – whatever.” He grinned. “Have you learned any more about the others that were involved?”
“Nothing.”
He gave a derisive sniff. “I don’t think we need worry too much. A single rebellious act isn’t the start of anything. This was a blip. A glitch in the system. Nothing more.”
“Maybe.” Or maybe they’d awakened a sleeping gundark.
Sloane decided there would be opportunities for advancement in a galaxy like that, too.
“To interesting missions ahead.” She clinked her glass against his.”
― John Jackson Miller, A New Dawn

“In mid-1986, Letterman got an unexpected call from Dave Tebet, the Carson Productions executive who worked with “Late Night.” Tebet said that he and Henry Bushkin, Johnny Carson’s extremely powerful attorney, business partner, and author of his 2013 tell-all, wanted to meet with Letterman—by himself, totally confidentially. Letterman was stunned when he heard what they had come to propose: They were offering him the “Tonight ” show; they wanted him to take Johnny Carson’s job. Bushkin, in his role as head of Carson Productions, said that the company intended to maintain ownership of the “Tonight ” show after Johnny stepped down, and now was the time to line up Letterman to slip into Johnny’s chair. The details were vague, and to Letterman they sounded deliberately so. He said he was flattered, he listened politely, but his radar was signaling a warning. Neither man told Letterman how or when this ascension would be accomplished, a problem that started sounding even worse when Bushkin advised Letterman that no one at NBC or anywhere else knew of the plan yet—not even Carson.
Letterman, already nervous, now started to feel as if he were getting close to a fire he didn’t want to be in the same campground with. They asked Letterman not to tell anyone, not even his management. They would get back to him.
The more Letterman thought about it, the more it sounded like a palace coup. His immediate instinct was to stay out of this, because there was going to be warfare of some sort. He feared Carson would interpret this maneuver as plotting and he guessed what might happen next: Johnny’s best friend Bushkin wouldn’t take the fall. Nor would his old crony, Tebet. It would be the punk who got blamed for engineering this.
Letterman broke his promise and called Peter Lassally, Carson’s producer. Lassally was shocked by what he heard. He suspected that Bushkin was involved in all sorts of machinations that never benefited Carson. He thought about telling Johnny, but other attempts to alert the star to questionable activities by Bushkin had been harshly rebuffed. Lassally decided to see what developed and advised Dave to keep Bushkin and Tebet at a distance.
Letterman had a couple of more phone calls from Bushkin and Tebet about the deal; they discussed it with Ron Ellberger, the Indianapolis attorney that Letterman still employed. Tebet blamed the lawyer for muddying up the deal, and eventually said that Carson knew of the plan and had approved of the idea of lining up Letterman for the future.
But Tebet was lying; Carson had never heard a word about it, and when he did—long after the approach had taken place and Bushkin and Tebet were both long gone—Carson exploded with rage at the thought that this plotting had gone on behind his back. He knew exactly what he would have done if he had learned of it at the time: He would have fired Bushkin and Tebet before another day elapsed. Letterman had guessed right in steering clear of the coup. When he learned that Carson hadn’t known what was going on, Letterman was deeply thankful for his cautious instincts.
When the offer from Bushkin melted away, Letterman tried not to give it any second thoughts. Only for the briefest time did he think that he might have walked away from an offer to host the “Tonight” show. The next time, it would not be nearly so easy to take.”
― Bill Carter, The Late Shift: Letterman, Leno & the Network Battle for the Night