Almighty and eternal Lord God, the great Creator of heaven and earth, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ; look down from heaven in pity and compassion upon me thy servant, who humbly prostrate myself before thee.
George WashingtonRead
A slender acquaintance with the world must convince every man that actions, not words, are the true criterion of the attachment of friends.
Interpretation
What this quote means
True friendship is measured by actions rather than just words.
This quote by George Washington emphasizes the importance of actions in defining the strength and reliability of friendships. It suggests that mere words or superficial acquaintance are insufficient to gauge true friendship, and that the way friends behave towards one another serves as a more accurate reflection of their loyalty and attachment to each other.
Themes
FriendshipActionsWordsLoyaltyTrust
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech on the value of true friends, one might use this quote to emphasize the importance of loyalty over mere words.
More from George Washington
All quotes βIf, in the opinion of the people, the distribution or modification of the constitutional powers be in any particular wrong, let it be corrected by an amendment in the way which the Constitution designates. But let there be no change by usurpation; for though this, in one instance, may be the instrument of good, it is the customary weapon by which free governments are destroyed.
George WashingtonRead
The duty of holding a Neutral conduct may be inferred, without any thing more, from the obligation which justice and humanity impose on every nation, in cases in which it is free to act, to maintain inviolate the relations of Peace and amity toward other Nations.
George WashingtonRead
We began a contest for liberty ill provided with the means for the war, relying on our patriotism to supply the deficiency. We expected to encounter many wants and distressed we must bear the present evils and fortitude
George WashingtonRead
What is most important of this grand experiment, the United States? Not the election of the first president but the election of its second president. The peaceful transition of power is what will separate this country from every other country in the world.
George WashingtonRead
Perseverance and spirit have done wonders in all ages.
George WashingtonRead
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I am not of that feather, to shake off my friend when he must need me
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You remember having friends who used to lampoon the world so effortlessly, crouching at the verge of every joke and waiting to pounce on it, and you remember how they changed as they grew older and the joy of questioning everything slowly became transformed into the pain of questioning everything, like a star consuming its own core.
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If you would keep your secret from an enemy, tell it not to a friend.
Benjamin FranklinRead
We are wont to see friendship solely as a phenomenon of intimacy in which the friends open their hearts to each other unmolested by the world and its demands...Thus it is hard for us to understand the political relevance of friendship...But for the Greeks the essence of friendship consisted in discourse...The converse (in contrast to the intimate talk in which individuals speak about themselves), permeated though it may be by pleasure in the friendβs presence, is concerned with the common world.
Hannah ArendtRead
Prosperity is full of friends.
EuripidesRead