Home › F › Friendship
Friendship: Quotations from Cyclopedia of Practical Quotations
Great souls by instinct to each other turn, Demand alliance, and in friendship burn.— ADDISON — The Campaign. L. 102.
The friendships of the world are oft Confederacies in vice, or leagues of pleasure; Ours has severest virtue for its basis, And such a friendship ends not but with life.— ADDISON — Cato. Act III. Sc. 1.
The friendship between me and you I will not compare to a chain; for that the rains might rust, or the falling tree might break.— BANCROFT — History of the United States.
Wm. Penn's Treaty with the Indians. Friendship! mysterious cement of the soul, Sweet'ner of life, and solder of society.— BLAIR — The Grave. L. 87.
Hand Grasps at hand, eye lights eye in good friendship, And great hearts expand And grow one in the sense of this world's life.— ROBERT BROWNING — Saul. St. VII.
In Friendship we only see those faults which may be prejudicial to our friends. In love we see no faults but those by which we suffer ourselves.— DE LA BRUYÈRE — The Characters or Manners of the Present Age. Ch. V.
Love and friendship exclude each other.— DE LA BRUYÈRE — The Characters or Manners of the Present Age. Ch. V.
Pure friendship is something which men of an inferior intellect can never taste.— DE LA BRUYÈRE — The Characters or Manners of the Present Age. Ch. V.
Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And never brought to mind? Should auld acquaintance be forgot, And days o' lang syne?— BURNS — Auld Lang Syne.
Friendship is Love without his wings!— BYRON — L' Amitié est l'Amour sans
S. Ailes. St. 1. In friendship I early was taught to believe; * * * * * * I have found that a friend may profess, yet deceive.— BYRON — Lines addressed to the Rev. J. T. Becher. St. 7.
Oh, how you wrong our friendship, valiant youth. With friends there is not such a word as debt: Where amity is ty'd with band of truth, All benefits are there in common set.— LADY CAREW — Marian.
Friendship is a sheltering tree.— COLERIDGE — Youth and Age.
Literary friendship is a sympathy not of manners, but of feelings.— ISAAC DISRAELI — Literary Characters. Ch. XIX,
For friendship, of itself a holy tie, Is made more sacred by adversity.— DRYDEN — The Hind and the Panther. Pt. III. L. 47.
Friendships begin with liking or gratituderoots that can be pulled up.— GEORGE ELIOT — Daniel Deronda. Bk. IV. Ch. XXXII.
So, if I live or die to serve my friend, 'Tis for my love-'tis for my friend alone, And not for any rate that friendship bears In heaven or on earth. C.— GEORGE ELIOT — Spanish Gypsy.
Friendship should be surrounded with ceremonies and respects, and not crushed into corners. Friendship requires more time than poor, busy men can usually command.— EMERSON — Essays. Behavior.
I hate the prostitution of the name of friendship to signify modish and worldly alliances.— EMERSON — Essays. Of Friendship.
The condition which high friendship demands is ability to do without it.— EMERSON — Essays. Of Friendship.
The highest compact we can make with our fellow is,-Let there be truth between us two forevermore. *** It is sublime to feel and say of another, I need never meet, or speak, or write to him; we need not reinforce ourselves or send tokens of remembrance; I rely on him as on myself; if he did thus or thus, I know it was right.— EMERSON — Essays. Behavior.
There can never be deep peace between two spirits, never mutual respect, until, in their dialogue, each stands for the whole world.— EMERSON — Essays. Of Friendship.
A sudden thought strikes me-Let us swear an eternal friendship.— JOHN H. FRERE — The Rovers. Act I. Sc. 1.
Friendship, like love, is but a name, Unless to one you stint the flame.— GAY — The Hare with Many Friends.
To friendship every burden's light.— GAY — The Hare with Many Friends.
Who friendship with a knave hath made, Is judg'd a partner in the trade.— GAY — The Old Woman and Her Cats.
And what is friendship but a name, A charm that lulls to sleep; A shade that follows wealth or fame, And leaves the wretch to weep?— GOLDSMITH — Edwin and Angelina, or The Hermit. St. 19.
O Friendship, flavor of flowers! O lively sprite of life! O sacred bond of blissful peace, the stalworth staunch of strife.— GRIMOALD — Of Friendship. L. 21.
Friendship closes its eye, rather than see the moon eclipst; while malice denies that it is ever at the full. 0. J. C. and A. W. HARE-Guesses at Truth. Friendship is Love, without either flowers or veil. p. J. C. and A. W. HARE-Guesses at Truth. Fast as the rolling seasons bring The hour of fate to those we love, Each pearl that leaves the broken string Is set in Friendship's crown above. As narrower grows the earthly chain, The circle widens in the sky; These are our treasures that remain, But those are stars that beam on high.— O. W. HOLMES — Songs of Many Seasons.
Our Classmate, F. W. C., 1864. A generous friendship no cold medium knows, Burns with one love, with one resentment glows; One should our interests and our passions be, My friend must hate the man that injures me.— HOMER — Iliad. Bk. IX. L. 725.
Pope's trans. True friendship's laws are by this rule express'd, Welcome the coming, speed the parting guest.— S. HOMER — Odyssey. Bk. XV. L. 83.
Pope's trans. If a man does not make new acquaintances, as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone. A man, Sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair.— SAM'L JOHNSON — Boswell's Life of
Johnson, 1755. Friendship, peculiar boon of Heaven, The noble mind's delight and pride, To men and angels only given, To all the lower world denied.— SAM'L JOHNSON — Friendship. An Ode.
The endearing elegance of female friendship.— SAM'L JOHNSON — Rasselas. Ch. XLVI.
Come back! ye friendships long departed! That like o'erflowing streamlets started, And now are dwindled, one by one, To stony channels in the sun! Come back! ye friends, whose lives are ended. Come back, with all that light attended, Which seemed to darken and decay When ye arose and went away!— LONGFELLOW — Christus. Pt. II. The
Golden Legend. I. "You will forgive me, I hope, for the sake of I thought you and he were hand-in-glove. the friendship between us, Which is too true and too sacred to be so easily broken!"— LONGFELLOW — The Courtship of Miles Standish. Priscilla. Pt. VI. L. 22.
Oh, call it by some better name, For Friendship sounds too cold.— MOORE — Oh, call it by some better Name.
"There is nothing that is meritorious but virtue and friendship; and indeed friendship itself is only a part of virtue."— POPE — Dr. Johnson's Lives of the Poets;
Life of Pope. What ill-starr'd rage Divides a friendship long confirm'd by age?— POPE — The Dunciad. Bk. III. L. 173.
Call you that backing of your friends? A plague upon such backing! give me them that will face me.— Shakespeare — Henry IV. Pt. I. Act II. Sc. 4. L. 165.
Ceremony was but devised at first To set a gloss on faint deeds, hollow welcomes, Recanting goodness, sorry ere 'tis shown; But where there is true friendship, there needs none.— Shakespeare — Timon of Athens. Act I. Sc. 2. L. 15.
Friendship is constant in all other things, Save in the office and affairs of love: Therefore, all hearts in love use their own tongues; Let every eye negotiate for itself, And trust no agent.— Shakespeare — Much Ado About Nothing. Act II. Sc. 1. L. 182.
Friendship's full of dregs.— Shakespeare — Timon of Athens. Act I. Sc. 2. L. 240.
Most friendship is feigning.— Shakespeare — As You Like It. Song. Act II. Sc. 7. L. 181.
Out upon this half-fac'd fellowship!— Shakespeare — Henry IV. Pt. I. Act I. Sc. 3. L. 208.
The amity that wisdom knits not, folly may easily untie.— Shakespeare — Troilus and Cressida. Act II. Sc. 3. L. 110.
When did friendship take A breed for barren metal of his friend?— Shakespeare — Merchant of Venice. Act I. Sc. 3. L. 134.
Life is to be fortified by many friendships. To love, and to be loved, is the greatest happiness of existence.— SYDNEY SMITH — Of Friendship. Lady
Holland's Memoir.
Secundas res splendidiores facit amicitia, et adversas partiens communicansque leviores. Friendship makes prosperity brighter, while it lightens adversity by sharing its griefs and anxieties.— CICERO — De Amicitia. VI.
Vulgo dicitur multos modios salis semel edendos esse, ut amicitia munus expletum sit. It is a common saying that many pecks of salt must be eaten before the duties of friendship can be discharged.— CICERO — De Amicitia. XIX.
Dulcis inexpertis cultura potentis amici; Expertus metuit. To have a great man for an intimate friend seems pleasant to those who have never tried it; those who have, fear it.— HORACE — Epistolæ. I. 18. 86.
Nil ego contulerim jucundo sanus amico. While I keep my senses I shall prefer nothing to a pleasant friend.— HORACE — Satiræ. I. 5. 44.
Nulla fides regni sociis omnisque potestas Impatiens consortis erit. There is no friendship between those associated in power; he who rules will always be impatient of an associate.— LUCAN — Pharsalia. I. 92.
Scilicet ut fulvum spectatur in ignibus aurum Tempore in duro est inspicienda fides. As the yellow gold is tried in fire, so the faith of friendship must be seen in adversity.— OVID — Tristium. I. 5. 25.
Vulgus amicitias utilitate probat. The vulgar herd estimate friendship by its advantages.— OVID — Epistolæ Ex Ponto. II. 3. 8.
Hospes nullus tam in amici hospitium diverti potest, Quin ubi triduum continuum fuerit jam odiosus siet. No one can be so welcome a guest that he will not become an annoyance when he has stayed three continuous days in a friend's house.— PLAUTUS — Miles Gloriosus. III. 3. 12.
Nihil homini amico est opportuno amicius. There is nothing more friendly than a friend in need.— PLAUTUS — Epidicus. III. 3. 43.
Quod tuum'st meum'st; omne meum est autem tuum. What is thine is mine, and all mine is thine.— PLAUTUS — Trinummus. II. 2. 47.
Idem velle et idem nolle ea demum firma amicitia est. To desire the same things and to reject the same things, constitutes true friendship.— SALLUST — Catilina. XX.
Amicitia semper prodest, amor etiam aliquando nocet. Friendship always benefits; love sometimes injures. SENECA. Epistolæ Ad Lucilium. xxxv. Amici vitium ni feras, prodis tuum. Unless you bear with the faults of a friend you betray your own. S.— SYRUS — Maxims.
Amicum lædere ne joco quidem licet. A friend must not be injured, even in jest.— SYRUS — Maxims.
Amicum perdere est damnorum maximum. To lose a friend is the greatest of all losses.— SYRUS — Maxims.
Secrete amicos admone, lauda palam. Reprove your friends in secret, praise them openly.— SYRUS — Maxims.
La blessure est pour vous, la douleur est pour moi. The wound is for you, but the pain is for me. CHARLES IX. to COLIGNY who was fatally wounded in the massacre of St. Bartholomew's Day. Les amis-ces parents que l'on se fait soi-même. Friends, those relations that one makes for one's self.— DESCHAMPS — L'Ami.
Le sort fait les parents, le choix fait les amis. Chance makes our parents, but choice makes our friends.— DELILLE — Pitié.