A man may learn wisdom even from a foe.

The line expresses a pragmatic, almost paradoxical ethic: hostility does not cancel usefulness. Even an adversary can reveal truths—about one’s own weaknesses, about strategy, or about the world—precisely because conflict forces clarity and exposes consequences. Read this way, the quote commends intellectual humility and emotional discipline: wisdom comes from attending to evidence and experience rather than from liking the source. In a broader Greek context, it also aligns with the idea that instruction can arise from unexpected quarters, including rivals, since opposition tests character and judgment more rigorously than agreement.