Finding Your Favorite Quote About Friendship: Inspiring Poetry From Figures Like Khalil Gibran
Sometimes, finding the words to express how you feel can be challenging. If you’re looking for a quote about friendship to include in a birthday card, wedding speech, or social media post honoring a special friend in your life, here are some thoughtful words from others to consider. For more personalized guidance in learning to express your emotions, consider working with a licensed therapist.
The importance of friendship
Healthy friendships can come with several benefits. Friends may offer support when times get hard and help you celebrate the good times. They can increase happiness and reduce stress. Some research has also found that friends can affect your mental and physical health.
Quality friendships can protect against mental health concerns like anxiety and depression, as well as change the way you respond to stress. Talking to a supportive friend may lower blood pressure, and having a friend help with a difficult task can help make the task seem more manageable.
Expressing gratitude to the people who make a positive difference in your life can be challenging. Finding the right words can seem impossible when trying to explain how much someone means to you. Here are some of the best friend quotes to inspire you.
Quotes from Ralph Waldo Emerson, Khalil Gibran, and other famous writers
“The only way to have a friend is to be one.” - Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.” - Khalil Gibran
“The language of Friendship is not words but meanings.” - Henry David Thoreau
“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
“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” - Walter Winchell
“It’s not enough to be friendly. You have to be a friend.” - R.J. Palacio
“I knew when I met you an adventure was going to happen.” - A.A. Milne
“Not a word passes between us, not because we have nothing to say, but because we don’t have to say anything.” - Khaled Hosseini
Quotes from Helen Keller, Eleanor Roosevelt, and other trailblazing women
“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
“True friends are never apart, maybe in distance but never in heart.” - Helen Keller
“Many people will walk in and out of your life, but only true friends will leave footprints in your heart.” - Eleanor Roosevelt
“The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” - Elisabeth Foley
“It’s not that diamonds are a girl’s best friend, but it’s your best friends who are your diamonds.” - Gina Barreca
“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
“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
“When the world is so complicated, the simple gift of friendship is within all of our hands.” - Maria Shriver
Quotes from Muhammad Ali, Jesse Owens, and other inspirational athletes
“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything.” - Muhammad Ali
“What I remember most about high school are the memories I created with my friends.” - JJ Watt
“Great is the victory, but the friendship of all is greater.” - Emil Zatopek
“The strength of the team is in each individual member…the strength of each member is the team.” - Phil Jackson
Other famous quotes about friendship
“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.” - G. Randolf
“Friendship is the only cement that will hold the world together.” - Woodrow Wilson
“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.” - Bernard Meltzer
“There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” - Jim Henson
“A good friend is like a four-leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.” - Irish Proverb
“Friends forever, no matter the distance.” - Unknown
Keys to maintaining good friendships
Telling your friends how you feel about them using your own words or the inspirational words of others may be one way to let them know how you feel, but there are other actions you can take to nurture your friendships.
Focus on communication
Communication can be an essential part of any healthy relationship. Being vulnerable enough to share your wants, needs, and fears with friends can help them better understand you and give you the support you deserve. Effective communication can strengthen connections, help individuals learn about one another, and build confidence and self-esteem.
Make time for one another
Finding time for friends can be challenging, especially as we take on other responsibilities at work and with our families. To stay connected to friends, making time for one another can be essential. Whether meeting for a quick cup of coffee on a weekend morning or scheduling a weekend away, making time to get together can maintain the relationship no matter how busy life gets.
Value quality, not quantity
Community can be important, but in the age of social media followers and likes, it can be easy to believe the bigger the circle of friends, the better. However, it can be helpful to remind yourself that quality is often much more important than quantity. Having genuine connections to a few people may be more beneficial than having numerous superficial friendships.
Appreciate your differences
Friends do not have to come from the same backgrounds or share the same beliefs. Learning to appreciate and respect these differences can lead to stronger bonds. Respecting cultural differences can also improve communication, prevent misunderstandings, and expose us to new experiences and perspectives.
Respect boundaries
There are many types of boundaries someone may set in a friendship. For example, people may have boundaries about respect, such as not tolerating when people share their personal information with others or not participating in gossip. Someone who has given up alcohol may ask that you not invite them to events where alcohol is the focus, or a friend who has a young infant may ask that you not call them after a certain time. Respecting these boundaries when a friend puts them in place can be essential.
Be trustworthy
Friends need to know that they can count on one another. Being forthright, keeping the information they’ve shared with you, and following through when you say you’re going to do something may let your friends know they can depend on you.
How therapy can help
Therapy can help people learn how to build stronger friendships. Whether you need to improve your communication skills or overcome past experiences to feel more comfortable being vulnerable, a therapist can guide you through any challenges that may interfere with your friendships.
If you’re looking for an alternative to traditional in-person treatment, consider online therapy. With an online therapy platform like BetterHelp, you can work with a licensed mental health provider from the comfort of your home or anywhere with an internet connection. Most people are matched with a therapist within 48 hours of signing up, and you can change providers at any time to find the right fit for you.
Online therapy can be a valid option for anyone who is looking for mental health support. In addition to being flexible and convenient, research has found that online treatment can be just as effective as in-person therapy, meaning that either approach can help you navigate relationship challenges.
Takeaway
It’s not always easy to find the words to express how you feel. The quotes about true friendship listed above can give you a place to start or inspire you to come up with your own way of expressing your feelings. If you’re interested in learning to build and maintain better friendships, working with a therapist locally or online may be helpful.
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