Friends are generally of the same sex, for when men and women agree, it is only in the conclusions; their reasons are always different.
—George Santayana (1863–1952) Spanish-American Poet, Philosopher
Better to lose a little money than a little friendship.
—African Proverb
To become a good man, one must have faithful friends, or outright enemies.
—Napoleon I (1769–1821) Emperor of France
‘Tis the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and have her nonsense respected.
—Charles Lamb (1775–1834) British Essayist, Poet
Friendship should be surrounded with ceremonies and respects, and not crushed into corners. Friendship requires more time than poor busy men can usually command.
—Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–82) American Philosopher
Remember, we all stumble, every one of us. That’s why it’s a comfort to go hand in hand.
—Emily Kimbrough (1899–1989) American Author, Journalist
One must be fond of people and trust them if one is not to make a mess of life.
—E. M. Forster (1879–1970) English Novelist, Short Story Writer, Essayist
Grief can take care of itself; but to get the full value of a joy you must have somebody to divide it with.
—Mark Twain (1835–1910) American Humorist
Every deed and every relationship is surrounded by an atmosphere of silence. Friendship needs no words—it is solitude delivered from the anguish of loneliness.
—Dag Hammarskjold (1905–61) Swedish Statesman, UN Diplomat
The friend within the man is that part of him which belongs to you and opens to you a door which never, perhaps, is opened to another. Such a friend is true, and all he says is true; and he loves you even if he hates you in other mansions of his heart.
—Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900–44) French Novelist, Aviator
There is a magnet in your heart that will attract true friends. That magnet is unselfishness, thinking of others first … when you learn to live for others, they will live for you.
—Paramahansa Yogananda (1893–1952) Indian Hindu Mystic, Religious Leader, Philosopher, Teacher
Can you understand how cruelly I feel the lack of friends who will believe in me a bit?
—D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) English Novelist, Playwright, Poet, Essayist, Literary Critic
Yes’m, old friends is always best, ‘less you can catch a new one that’s fit to make an old one out of.
—Sarah Orne Jewett (1849–1909) American Children’s Books Writer, Novelist, Short Story Writer
Friends and wine should be old.
—Spanish Proverb
So long as the pot is boiling, friendship will stay warm.
—Arabic Proverb
Friendship is but another name for an alliance with the follies and the misfortunes of others. Our own share of miseries is sufficient: why enter then as volunteers into those of another?
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826) American Head of State, Lawyer
The most fatal disease of friendship is gradual decay, or dislike hourly increased by causes too slender for complaint, and too numerous for removal.
—Samuel Johnson (1709–84) British Essayist
I made courtiers; I never pretended to make friends, said Napoleon… . On a rocky little island he fretted away the last years of his life—alone.
—Bruce Fairchild Barton (1886–1967) American Author, Advertising Executive, Politician
Never forget me, because if I thought you would, I’d never leave.
—A. A. Milne (1882–1956) British Humorist, Playwright, Children’s Writer
Am I not destroying my enemies when I make friends of them?
—Abraham Lincoln (1809–65) American Head of State
All love that has not friendship for its base, is like a mansion built upon the sand.
—Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850–1919) American Poet, Journalist
Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.
—Samuel Butler
The pleasure of all reading is doubled when one lives with another who shares the same books.
—Katherine Mansfield (1888–1923) New Zealand-born British Author
Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.
—C. S. Lewis (1898-1963) Irish-born British Academic, Author, Literary Scholar
A man becomes like those whose society he loves.
—Indian Proverb
There are no rules for friendship. It must be left to itself. We cannot force it any more than love.
—William Hazlitt (1778–1830) English Essayist
The shifts of fortune test the reliability of friends.
—Cicero (106BCE–43BCE) Roman Philosopher, Orator, Politician, Lawyer
Friendships, like marriages, are dependent on avoiding the unforgivable.
—John D. MacDonald (1916–86) American Novelist, Short Story Writer
Unless you make allowances for your friend’s foibles, you betray your own.
—Publilius Syrus (fl.85–43 BCE) Syrian-born Roman Latin Writer
Give and take makes good friends.
—Scottish Proverb