Get correct views of life, and learn to see the world in its true light. It will enable you to live pleasantly, to do good, and, when summoned away, to leave without regret.
Robert E. LeeRead
If a friend asks a favor, you should grant it if it is reasonable; if not, tell him plainly why you cannot: You will wrong him and wrong yourself by equivocation of any kind.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Honesty is crucial in friendships, especially when responding to requests for favors.
This quote emphasizes the importance of being straightforward in friendships when someone asks for a favor. It suggests that granting reasonable requests fosters trust, while avoiding honesty can harm both the requester and the responder, leading to misunderstandings and weakened bonds.
Themes
FriendshipHonestyFavorTrustCommunication
In practice
Example use cases
In a conversation about the importance of transparent relationships, this quote can illustrate the need for honesty.
More from Robert E. Lee
All quotes βLife Insurance trusts I consider sacred. To hazard the property of the dead & to lose the scanty earnings of fathers & husbands, who have toiled & saved that they may leave something to their families deprived of their care & the support of their labour, is to my mind the worst of crimes.
Robert E. LeeRead
It is easier to make our wishes conform to our means than to make our means conform to our wishes.
Robert E. LeeRead
So far from engaging in a war to perpetuate slavery, I am rejoiced that Slavery is abolished. I believe it will be greatly for the interest of the South. So fully am I satisfied of this that I would have cheerfully lost all that I have lost by the war, and have suffered all that I have suffered to have this object attained.
Robert E. LeeRead
Our country demands all our strength, all our energies. To resist the powerful combination now forming against us will require every man at his place. If victorious, we will have everything to hope for in the future. If defeated, nothing will be left for us to live for.
Robert E. LeeRead
With all my devotion to the Union, and the feeling of loyalty and duty of an American citizen, I have not been able to make up my mind to raise my hand against my relative, my children, my home. I have, therefore, resigned my commission in the Army.
Robert E. LeeRead
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