Help others solve their problems; standing farther away, you can often see matters more clearly than they do. . . The greatest service you can render someone else is helping him or her help themselves.
Baltasar GracianRead
To find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Having a single true friend is rare, and maintaining that friendship is a great blessing.
This quote emphasizes the value of genuine friendship, suggesting that it is a rare gift to find someone who truly understands and supports you throughout life. Furthermore, it highlights that sustaining such a relationship over time is not just fortunate, but a significant blessing that enriches oneβs life.
Themes
FriendshipBlessingFortuneConnectionLoyalty
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of friendship, citing this quote can underscore its rarity.
More from Baltasar Gracian
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It is better to sleep on things beforehand than lie awake about them afterwards.
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The envious die not once, but as oft as the envied win applause.
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A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud.
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A chilly breeze that seemed to emanate from the heart of the forest lifted the hair at Harry's brow. He knew that they would not tell him to go, that it would have to be his decision. "You'll stay with me?" "Until the very end," said James.
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Friendship marks a life even more deeply than love. Love risks degenerating into obsession, friendship is never anything but sharing.
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The friends we have lost do not repose under the ground...they are buried deep in our hearts. It has been thus ordained that they may always accompany us.
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You cannot be friends upon any other terms than upon the terms of equality.
Woodrow WilsonRead