37 True Friendship Quotes: Explore Authors Like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Helen Keller

Deep, close friendship can be a powerfully enriching force in human life. Good friends may offer courage, empathy, entertainment, and pragmatic help with everyday challenges. They can shape our personalities and worldviews while also giving us a space free from judgment so we can express our authentic selves. These multifaceted benefits may explain why so many great thinkers have written about the importance of true friends. 

The quotes collected here discuss friendship from many different angles. Some address what true friendship means and what makes someone stand out as a best friend. Others are meditations on the many kinds of goodness that friends bring into our lives. There are also quotes offering advice on seeking out the kinds of friends who will lift you up and broaden your horizons. By reflecting on true friendship quotes from authors, artists, and philosophers, you may find yourself thinking about friendship in a new way. 

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Famous thinkers on friendship: Hellen Keller, Thomas Aquinas, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and others

While many notable figures have offered occasional thoughts on friendship, some people have engaged in especially extensive reflections on its nature and importance. These thinkers have provided definitions of friendship or meditations on why it matters that continue to inspire discussion and debate to this day. Examples include the following.

Helen Keller

Helen Keller was a journalist and activist who played a significant role in fields like civil liberties, disability rights, labor organizing, and anti-racism. She also wrote about the crucial importance of friendship, both in her life and in the human experience in general, with quotes like the following:

• “Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.”
• “My friends have made the story of my life. In a thousand ways they have turned my limitations into beautiful privileges.”
• “With every friend I love who has been taken into the brown bosom of the earth a part of me has been buried there; but their contribution to my being of happiness, strength, and understanding remains to sustain me in an altered world.”

Thomas Aquinas

Ralph Waldo Emerson

Writer, lecturer, and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson helped shape the American intellectual tradition in a variety of ways. In works like his essay Friendship, he meditates on what constitutes true friendship and what role it plays in human life. Notable quotes include:

• “The glory of friendship is not the outstretched hand, not the kindly smile, nor the joy of companionship; it is the spiritual inspiration that comes to one when you discover that someone else believes in you and is willing to trust you with a friendship.”
• “A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere. Before him I may think aloud.”
• “It is one of the blessings of old friends that you can afford to be stupid with them.”

Aristotle

One of the foundational figures of Western philosophy, Aristotle considered friendship a vital component of a life well-lived. The following quotes from his Nicomachean Ethics give some sense of his feelings about the significance of friendship:

• “Without friends, no one would choose to live, though he had all other goods.”
• “My best friend is the man who, in wishing me well, wishes it for my sake.”
• “When people are friends, they have no need of justice, but when they are just, they need friendship in addition.”

Confucius

The Analects, a series of sayings by the philosopher Confucius, have had a major influence on various cultures throughout history. They include several reflections on how to conduct yourself as a friend, such as:

• “It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.”
• “There are three friendships which are advantageous, and three which are injurious. Friendship with the upright; friendship with the sincere; and friendship with the man of much observation: these are advantageous. Friendship with the man of specious airs; friendship with the insinuatingly soft; and friendship with the glib-tongued: these are injurious.”

Quotes about the joys of friendship

Psychological research suggests that friendships can be a significant predictor of psychological well-being and life satisfaction. The quotes below express many people’s feelings about the ways friendships can bring joy, meaning, and depth to life: 

• “A day without a friend is like a pot without a single drop of honey left inside.” –A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
• “Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” –Anaïs Nin 
• “Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” –G. Randolf
• “A good friend is a connection to life—a tie to the past, a road to the future, the key to sanity in a totally insane world.” –Lois Wyse

Quotes about what makes a true friend

Having a few deeply meaningful friendships may make a bigger impact than lots of more superficial ones. For example, research suggests that the closeness of a person’s friendships is linked with their psychological resilience to bullying. The following quotes offer some ideas about what makes someone a real friend:

• “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.” –Bernard Meltzer
• “A friend is one whose presence can uplift, enlighten, and empower. Just one person can make a world of difference” –Unknown 
• “Lots of people want to ride with you in the limo, but what you want is someone who will take the bus with you when the limo breaks down.” –Oprah Winfrey
• “Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.” –Khalil Gibran
• “False friendship, like the ivy, decays and ruins the walls it embraces; but true friendship gives new life and animation to the object it supports.” –Richard Burton

Quotes about friends who let you be yourself

Many of us feel like we’re the most ourselves around the friends who know us best. The following quotes express this feeling:

• “Friends…they cherish one another’s hopes. They are kind to one another’s dreams.” –Henry David Thoreau
• “‘Tis the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and to have her nonsense respected.” –Charles Lamb
• “The longer I live, the more deeply I learn that love—whether we call it friendship or family or romance—is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other's light.” –James Baldwin
• “Friends are people who help you be more yourself, more the person you are intended to be, and it is possible that without them, we don’t recognize ourselves or grow to be what it is in us to be.” –Merle Shain
• “That was what a best friend did: hold up a mirror and show you your heart.” –Kristin Hannah

Quotes about the importance of old friends

Long-lasting friendships can be among the most significant relationships in a person’s life. These quotes speak to the way that an old friend in particular can broaden and deepen your understanding of yourself, your life, and your world:

• “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” –Elisabeth Foley
• “You don't have to have anything in common with people you've known since you were five. With old friends, you've got your whole life in common.” –Lyle Lovett
• “Remember that life's most valuable antiques are dear old friends.” –H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
• “There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” –Jim Henson

Quotes about seeking friends who inspire you

In addition to being sources of emotional support, friends can also provide encouragement, inspiration, and motivation to improve yourself. Here are a few quotes expressing the value of finding friends who nurture your better qualities:

• “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” –Amy Poehler
• “My best friend is the one who brings out the best in me.” –Henry Ford
• “Each new friendship can make you a new person, because it opens up new doors inside of you.” –Kate DiCamillo
• “Don't make friends who you are comfortable with. Make friends who will force you to lever yourself up.” –Thomas J. Watson
• “I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.” –Plutarch

Mental health care to address loneliness

While friendships can be highly beneficial to overall health, research suggests that the reverse is also true: Being isolated from others can have a negative impact on mental and physical well-being. If you’re feeling depressed or anxious due to feelings of loneliness, seeking mental health treatment may be helpful.

Studies indicate that treatments like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) may help relieve some of the distressing effects of loneliness. They may also help with challenges like social anxiety that could make it harder to seek out new friends and connections. 

Are you experiencing feelings of loneliness?

Talk things over with a therapist

Seeking therapy for challenges related to social isolation

If you’re wondering how to find effective psychological help for loneliness-related distress, talking to your primary care doctor could be a helpful way to get started. Your doctor can likely refer you to a licensed counselor for therapy. You might also try searching through your insurance provider; most companies provide databases of care professionals who will accept your coverage. 

Another method would be to take advantage of online search tools for licensed mental health professionals, such as:

• American Psychological Association: Psychologist Locator
• Anxiety & Depression Association of America: Find Your Therapist
• National Register of Health Services Psychologists
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration: Find Treatment

If you are struggling with substance use, contact the SAMHSA National Helpline at (800) 662-4357 to receive support and resources. Support is available 24/7.

Working with an online therapist is another option many people find helpful. Due to the flexibility of online therapy sessions and the fact that you don’t have to commute to and from appointments, it’s often easier to schedule treatment over the web than in person. 

Current evidence suggests that internet therapy can have a lasting positive effect on the psychological consequences of isolation. For example, a 2020 study following up on individuals who received online CBT for loneliness reported that even two years after completion of treatment, they showed “moderate to large” reductions in loneliness and social anxiety.