Anybody or anything may stand between you and knowledge if you are unfit for it.
You are adrift while you still think that a means is an end.
To 'see both sides' of a problem is the surest way to prevent its complete solution. Because there are always more than two sides.
The Sufi way is through knowledge and practice, not through intellect and talk.
MAN: Kick him-he'll forgive you. Flatter him-he may or may not see through you. But ignore him and he'll hate you
Better to be safe than to be sorry' is a remark of value only when these are the actual alternatives.