A friend, therefore, is a sort of paradox in nature. I who alone am, I who see nothing in nature whose existence I can affirm with equal evidence to my own, behold now the semblance of my being, in all its height, variety, and curiosity, reiterated in a foreign form; so that a friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
Interpretation
A friend reflects our own existence and individuality in a unique way.
In this quote, Emerson suggests that a friend embodies a paradoxical relationship where one person can witness their own essence and complexity through another. It highlights the profound connection between friends, as each serves as a mirror revealing the nuances of one's identity and humanity, making friendship one of the greatest creations of nature.
In practice
In a speech about the value of companionship and understanding, this quote can be used to emphasize the depth of friendship.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
Jo's eyes sparkled, for it's always pleasant to be believed in; and a friend's praise is always sweeter than a dozen newspaper puffs.
My friendships, they are a very strong part of my life, they are as light as gossamer but also they are as strong as steel. And I cannot throw them off, nor altogether do with them or without them. And I love them at the point where they say: It is nice to see you again. And I love them too at the point when they say: Good-bye, come again soon. The rhythm of friendship is a very good rhythm.
It is one of the major tragedies that nothing is more discomforting than the hearty affection of the Old Friends who never were friends.
Old friendships are like meats served up repeatedly, cold, comfortless, and distasteful. The stomach turns against them.
A melancholy lesson of advancing years is the realisation that you can't make old friends.
I'll lift you and you lift me, and we'll both ascend together.
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