Quote: In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence

[Daemon99]

In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends.

Can someone please tell me the meaning of the above sentence?
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Non-native speaker of English
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I intend to live forever - so far, so good.

[Alan]

Hi Daemon,

I would suggest this means: What we tend to remember in life is not what our enemies said but what was left unsaid by our friends, that they didn't say anything unpleasant.

Alan
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English as a Second Language
You can read my ESL story Present Simple

[Erinpaw]

I somewhat agree with Alan but i would take this approach.

In the long run it is not the cruel things that others say to us that matter. It is the fact that our friends stood there in silence and watched without trying to defend us.