Cultivate solitude and quiet and a few sincere friends, rather than mob merriment, noise and thousands of nodding acquaintances.
William PowellRead
Friendship is like love at its best; not blind but sympathetically all-seeing; a support which does not wait for understanding; an act of faith which does not need, but always has, reason.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Friendship is a deep, understanding bond that requires faith and support without needing full comprehension.
This quote emphasizes that true friendship, much like love, is characterized by a profound awareness and compassion that goes beyond superficial understanding. It suggests that genuine friendship is built on mutual support and trust, where individuals offer help and faith in one another without the need for complete understanding or justification.
Themes
FriendshipLoveSupportFaithUnderstanding
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of community, you might quote this to emphasize the strength of friendship.
Similar quotes
Few friendships would survive if each one knew what his friend says of him behind his back.
Blaise PascalRead
To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.
Baltasar GracianRead
We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over.
Ray BradburyRead
I dedicate the merit of the occasion to all beings. This gesture of universal friendship has been likened to a drop of fresh spring water. If we put it on a rock in the sunshine, it will soon evaporate. If we put it in the ocean, however, it will never be lost. Thus the wish is made that we not keep the teachings to ourselves but to use them to benefit others.
Pema ChodronRead
Into the dark night Resignedly I go, I am not so afraid of the dark night As the friends I do not know, I do not fear the night above As I fear the friends below.
Stevie SmithRead