A companion loves some agreeable qualities which a man may possess, but a friend loves the man himself.
James BoswellRead
There is nothing worth the wear of winning, but laughter and the love of friends.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True value in life comes from joy and companionship, not material achievements.
This quote emphasizes that the most meaningful aspects of life are found in joy and the relationships we cultivate with friends. Winning in material terms may be tiring and ultimately unsatisfying, but the laughter shared and love received from friends provide lasting happiness and fulfillment.
Themes
LaughterFriendsValueHappinessLove
In practice
Example use cases
During a heartfelt toast at a wedding, this quote could highlight the importance of friendship in marriage.
More from James Boswell
All quotes βHe who has provoked the lash of wit, cannot complain that he smarts from it.
James BoswellRead
Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed.
James BoswellRead
Wine makes a man better pleased with himself. I do not say that it makes him more pleasing to others. Sometimes it does. But the danger is, that while a man grows better pleased with himself, he may be growing less pleasing to others. Wine gives a man nothing. It neither gives him knowledge nor wit; it only animates a man, and enables him to bring out what a dread of the company has presented.
James BoswellRead
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I can do much, I can do everything for a man who will be my friend. I can give him power; I can give him wealth. I can give him reputation - the power, the wealth, the reputation which come to a man who speaks to a million people a day in the columns of a great paper.
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But listen to me first and swear an oath to use all your eloquence and strength to look after me and protect me.
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