“In the adversity of our best friends we often find something that is not exactly displeasing.”

“In prosperity our friends know us; in adversity we know our friends.”

“Unless we are willing to escape into sentimentality or fantasy, often the best we can do with catastrophes, even our own, is to find out exactly what happened and restore some of the missing parts — hopefully, even the arch to the sky.”

“Adversity shows whether we have friends, or only the shadows of friends.”

“There are few things in which we deceive ourselves more than in the esteem we profess to entertain for our friends. It is little better than a piece of quackery. The truth is, we think of them as we please — that is as they please or displease us.”

“In times of great stress or adversity, it’s always best to keep busy, to plow your anger and your energy into something positive.”

“And the best way to know who we are is often to find out how others see us.”

“People often have trouble finding lasting satisfaction from worldly rewards, because as soon as we acquire something, our desire resets and we are looking to the next reward.”

“Adversity is the only balance to weigh friends.”

“It is when we are most lost that we sometimes find our truest friends.”