Quotes about friend
page 49

Plautus photo
Brooks Adams photo
Sophocles photo
François de La Rochefoucauld photo
George Santayana photo
Henry Ward Beecher photo
François de La Rochefoucauld photo
Nathaniel Hawthorne photo
Lois McMaster Bujold photo

“Oh, fine new friends you have—until They betray you. If the gods toy with you, cousin, it is for Their ends, not yours.”

Source: World of the Five Gods series, The Hallowed Hunt (2005), Chapter 16 (p. 279)

Albert Camus photo

“Don’t walk behind me, I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.”

Albert Camus (1913–1960) French author and journalist

Widely attributed, but likely apocryphal. https://quoteinvestigator.com/2015/08/23/friend/ Researchers have searched for this quote unsuccessfully in Camus' extant works.
Disputed

Pope John Paul II photo

“I give thanks to God for the presence and help of cardinal Ratzinger, who is a trusted friend.”

Pope John Paul II (1920–2005) 264th Pope of the Catholic Church, saint

Autobiography of John Paul II, firstly presented on May 2004 in Rome.
Source: Sandro Magister, L'Espresso - May 27, 2004 http://chiesa.espresso.repubblica.it/articolo/7042%26eng%3dy.html/
Other Quotes by Pope John Paul II

Martin Luther King, Jr. photo
Benjamin Zephaniah photo

“As the only black kid in my primary school playground, animals had become my friends. By 15 I was vegan, although I didn't give up honey until 16. For a while my mother thought it was just "a rasta phase."”

Benjamin Zephaniah (1958) English poet and author

… I can honestly say I've not been tempted to give up veganism in 27 years. I sometimes smell a chip shop and like the smell but then feel guilty because fish might be part of it. But I'll go home and make vegan chips. After all these years, my favourite food is my mother's butter bean stew with whole potatoes, yam and dasheen. I don't think I've ever made a meal for her, to be honest. I think she would consider it a failing of her motherhood and say "Boy, get out the kitchen."
"Interview: Benjamin Zephaniah" by John Hind, TheGuardian.com (18 July 2010) https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2010/jul/18/benjamin-zephaniah-life-on-a-plate

Seneca the Younger photo

“Let us greedily enjoy our friends, because we do not know how long this privilege will be ours.”

Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium (Moral Letters to Lucilius), Letter LXIII

Jenny Lewis photo
Jenny Lewis photo
Prevale photo

“Best friend is the one who with her love senses where it is necessary and rushes to support you overwhelmingly without you saying anything.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) L'amico del cuore è colui che con il suo amore intuisce dove è necessario ed accorre a sostenerti prepotentemente senza che tu dica niente.
Source: prevale.net

Prevale photo

“Mom is the person who gave you life. She is the sweet and strict friend, the teaching, the protection. Mom, she unconditionally represents love.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) La mamma è la persona che ti ha donato la vita. È l'amica dolce e severa, l'insegnamento, la protezione. La mamma, rappresenta incondizionatamente l'amore.
Source: prevale.net

Prevale photo

“The respect that true friends have towards you will never allow them to be behind or in front of your life path, but always by your side.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: (it) Il rispetto che i veri amici hanno nei tuoi confronti non permetterà mai loro di essere dietro o davanti al tuo percorso di vita, ma sempre al tuo fianco.
Source: prevale.net

“I don’t have any particular work. I pray for the Jesuits, relatives and friends. Every morning I give communion to the senior and sick fathers in the infirmary. Sometimes Jesuit fathers and brothers come to me for spiritual advice. I try my best to help them.”

Linus Nirmal Gomes (1921–2021) Roman Catholic Bishop

Centenarian Jesuit bishop inspires generations with his profound faith https://www.ucanews.com/news/centenarian-jesuit-bishop-inspires-generations-with-his-profound-faith/89539# (September 16, 2020)

“Friends are admiring my age and health, and asking me the secret to live to such an age in good health. I usually answer them frankly: I have never paid attention to my health and age.”

Peter Chung Hoan Ting (1928) Malaysian catholic priest

Archbishop Emeritus Peter Chung celebrates his 90th birthday http://www.heraldmalaysia.com/news/archbishop-emeritus-peter-chung-celebrates-his-90th-birthday/44331/1 (September 21, 2018)

Alexander Lukashenko photo

“I have found yet another friend here. And with such a friend we will together form a team, like a soccer team. This will be a fighting team.”

Alexander Lukashenko (1954) President of Belarus since 20 July 1994

Hugo Chávez, referring to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, to reporters during a state visit to Minsk, Belarus, on July 25, 2006. <nowiki>[24 http://www.boston.com/news/world/latinamerica/articles/2006/07/24/chavez_lauds_belarus_leader_as_friend/</nowiki>]

Bowinn Ma photo
Tony Leung photo

“If I'm not working, I'll go on my boat and have a few drinks. Most of my friends are outside the movie business. It's too much to mix with other celebrities. When I go out I prefer no one talk about movies. I'd rather talk about waterskiing, the sea, beaches, seafood...”

Tony Leung (1962) Hong Kong actor

"I Told Kar-wai I Couldn't Move, Couldn't Breathe" in TIME Asia (11 October 2000) http://edition.cnn.com/ASIANOW/time/features/interviews/2000/10/11/int.tony_leung.html

Michael Foot photo

“If only my hon. Friend would conduct the novel experiment of listening with his ears instead of his voice, a whole new world would open to him.”

Michael Foot (1913–2010) British politician

Speech https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/1979-11-26/debates/294bd8ba-7ace-4fab-9f9c-12be13ccb2ad/CommonsChamber#contribution-6ae9a2db-2e77-4e8d-8630-d90f5f7d8d0e in the House of Commons (26 November 1979)
1970s

Cui Jian photo

“I had a lot of friends who worked in foreign embassies so I had the chance to exchange music tapes. That's the way I listened to a lot of rock music at that time”

Cui Jian (1961) Chinese rock musician of Korean descent

"Chinese rock legend sings on" in BBC (25 August 2010) https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-pacific-11067241

Kim Hyon-hui photo

“I wasn't even allowed time to say goodbye to my friends, I was just told to pack. I was given one last night with my family.”

Kim Hyon-hui (1962) former North Korean agent

"Exclusive: My life as a North Korean super spy" in ABC News (Australia) https://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-10/my-life-as-a-north-korean-super-spy3a-exclusive/4621358 (10 April 2013)

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya photo

“Personally, I am against deeper integration with Russia because Belarus is a sovereign nation. We want to be independent. We want to find friends and not enemies among other countries.”

Sviatlana Tsikhanouskaya (1982) Belarusian politician and educator

"«Нельзя так со своим народом»Главная соперница Лукашенко — о том, почему у белорусов кончилось терпение и нужна ли им Россия" https://lenta.ru/articles/2020/07/30/tihanovskaya/ (30 July 2020)

Faiz Ahmad Faiz photo
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu photo

“It is so easy to be an enemy of the United States, but so difficult to be a friend.”

Nguyễn Văn Thiệu (1923–2001) president of South Vietnam from 1965–75

As quoted in a response to Anna Chennault in 1975
Langguth, A.J. Our Vietnam, New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000 page 656.

Opal Tometi photo

“One thing I just want to underscore is that the world is watching us. We see these rallies in solidarity emerging all across the globe, and I have friends texting me with their images in France and the Netherlands and Costa Rica, and people are showing me that they are showing up in solidarity.”

Opal Tometi (1984) Nigerian–American writer, strategist and community organizer

A Black Lives Matter Co-Founder Explains Why This Time Is Different, By Isaac Chotiner, The New Yorker, (3 June 2020)

Maximilien Robespierre photo
Example (musician) photo

“A song in my head and it won't leave me alone,
I should have followed my friends,
by now they're probably at home
all warm and tucked up in bed
Instead I'm stumbling home on my own
with no charge on my phone
in the east end of London”

Example (musician) (1982) English rapper and singer

"Wrong in the Head" (song)
("Wrong in the Head" on YouTube (with lyrics)) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wvZSPl7QYto
Studio albums, Playing in the Shadows (2011)

Example (musician) photo

“You can't rap, my friend
You're white and you're from Fulham
Please put down the mic
there's no way you can fool them
Don't be stupid, you won't get that far
Turn your back on hip-hop, bruv, and go and play guitar”

Example (musician) (1982) English rapper and singer

"You Can't Rap" (song)
("You Can't rap" - Official video on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvCd1Xq0Au4
(+ Lyrics version of "You Can't Rap" on YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bK_3L-9dv_c
Studio albums, What We Made (2007)

Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Mwanandeke Kindembo photo
Bong Joon-ho photo

“I grew up in a middle-class family. Even in terms of real estate, the house that I grew up in is in the middle – between the semi-basement home and the rich house you see in the film. I was really close with friends and relatives from both classes.”

Bong Joon-ho (1969) South Korean film director and screenwriter

As quoted in "Parasite director Bong Joon-ho: 'Korea seems glamorous, but the young are in despair" in The Guardian (31 January 2020) https://www.theguardian.com/film/2020/jan/31/parasite-director-bong-joon-ho-korea-seems-glamorous-but-the-young-are-in-despair

Johann Kaspar Lavater photo

“You are not very good if you are not better than your best friends imagine you to be.”

Johann Kaspar Lavater (1741–1801) Swiss poet

No. 536
Aphorisms on Man (1788)

Julius Bahnsen photo

“And if my friends refused to listen to me, then the walls had to hear me or the stones in the fields and the trees of the forests.”

Julius Bahnsen (1830–1881) German philosopher

Quoted by Harry Slochower in "Julius Bahnsen, Philosopher of Heroic Despair, 1830-1881" (1932), The Philosophical Review, 41(4), p. 371

“It is disconcerting to find that an acquaintance considers you his best friend, his soul mate, but I could do nothing about it.”

Bernard MacLaverty (1942) Irish writer

Short story, "In the hills above Lugano", p.51
Short Stories, The Great Profundo and Other Stories (1987)

“As men, you stand at the center of the universe. You spout pearls of wisdom that shape the future of the world. So when your female friend comes to you, you might wonder: ‘Is she hoping to share her sadness with me? No, she must be hoping to learn something from me!’”

Yang Li (1992) Chinese stand-up comedian

Source: "The ‘Punchline Queens’ Ripping Into Chinese Comedy’s Boys’ Club" in Sixth Tone https://www.sixthtone.com/news/1006067/the-punchline-queens-ripping-into-chinese-comedys-boys-club (21 August 2020)

Poemen photo

“How do you advise me to behave? Make friends with anyone who tries to bully you and sell your produce in peace.”

Poemen (340–450) Egyptian monk and desert father

Saying 163

Robert A. Heinlein photo

“You’re not a stranger; you’re an old friend we haven’t known very long.”

Source: Friday (1982), Chapter 12 (p. 110)

“We thank Almighty God, who said in his holy book: Ye who believe, take not the Jews and the Christians for your friends and protectors. They are but friends and protectors to each other. And he amongst you that turns to them is of them.”

Sulaiman Abu Ghaith (1965) One of Al-Qaeda's official spokesmen

Source: In full: Al-Qaeda statement http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/1590350.stm (10th October, 2001)

Dave Bautista photo
William Cowper photo

“My friends, do they now and then send
A wish or a thought after me?
O tell me I yet have a friend,
Though a friend I am never to see.”

William Cowper (1731–1800) (1731–1800) English poet and hymnodist

Source: Verses supposed to be written by Alexander Selkirk (1782), Line 37

Padma Lakshmi photo

“You know how you’re completely different with your mom than you are with your best friend, than you are with your romantic partner, than you are with your boss? They’re just different facets of me.”

Padma Lakshmi (1970) Indian-born American author, actress, model, television host and executive producer

Source: "Padma Lakshmi’s Delicious Mission" in Vanity Fair https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2021/06/padma-lakshmi-top-chef-taste-the-nation (24 June 2021)

Bobby Heenan photo

“A friend in need is a pest.”

Bobby Heenan (1944–2017) American professional wrestler, professional wrestling commentator and manager

Misc.

Bobby Heenan photo

“You gotta take the easy way out, this is life! Remember, a friend in need is a pest.”

Bobby Heenan (1944–2017) American professional wrestler, professional wrestling commentator and manager

Source: World Wrestling Federation (1984-1993), King of the Ring (1993)

Bobby Heenan photo

“Nothing. Know what you do, you find out somebody that has stamps, make friends with them, then when they aren't looking, steal them and sell them. Great fun.”

Bobby Heenan (1944–2017) American professional wrestler, professional wrestling commentator and manager

Source: World Wrestling Federation (1984-1993)

J. Howard Moore photo
İsmail Enver photo

“Human and plague bacteria can't be friends..”

İsmail Enver (1881–1922) Turkish military officer and a leader of the Young Turk revolution

Source: When people asked him about Turco-Armenian friendship

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell photo

“I have seemed cold to my friends, but it was not in my heart.”

John Russell, 1st Earl Russell (1792–1878) leading Whig and Liberal politician who served as Prime Minister on two occasions

Source: Comment during final illness, as recalled by his nephew George W. E. Russell in Prime Ministers and Some Others, 1918, p. 24

Michael McFaul photo

“The people working at the White House at the time are friends of mine, and they're friends of mine to this day. I don’t want to trivialize how difficult their decisions were. They did not have good choices.”

Michael McFaul (1963) American academic and diplomat

"Michael McFaul - The Frontline Interview" in PBS https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interview/michael-mcfaul/ (23 June 2017)

Dan Howell photo

“School friends don’t have to be people that you actually get on with, they’re just people that you bond with after sharing a traumatic situation for several years.”

Dan Howell (1991) British video blogger and radio personality

Source: Gay And Not Proud - Daniel Howell | YouTube Pride 2021 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ifJYb2An7wE, 25 June 2019

Bo Xilai photo
Niniola photo

“During secondary school days, I started entertaining my friends during lunchtime...I had a sort of request songs and I would sing.”

Niniola (1986) Nigerian singer-songwriter

Source: https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/niniola-femi-kuti-958136/amp/ Niniola speaking at an interview about her journey into music.

Alejandro Giammattei photo

“We consider ourselves an ally and friend (of the United States), although some officials in this government don't understand this in its true dimension.”

Alejandro Giammattei (1956) President of Guatemala

Source: Alejandro Giammattei (2021) cited in: " Guatemala backs Taipei: president https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/front/archives/2021/12/08/2003769213" in Taipei Times, 8 December 2021.

Mario Abdo Benítez photo

“We won't sacrifice our ties with any of our allies or good friends over business relations with another country. We firmly believe no country in the world can restrict our sovereign decision to make friends with another country.”

Mario Abdo Benítez (1971) 51.° President of Paraguay

Source: Mario Abdo Benítez (2019) cited in: " Paraguay will always be a loyal ally: Abdo Benitez https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2018/10/12/2003702215" in Taipei Times, 12 October 2018.

“I treat my audience like my friends. Whatever information I feel I would love to share with a friend, I will share the same on my social platforms, especially if it is content that will add value to my audience.”

Sisi Yemmie (1984) Nigerian Youtuber

Source: https://guardian.ng/life/spotlight/sisi-yemmie-the-inspirational-vlogger/ Sir yemmie speaking at an interview.

Boris Johnson photo

“There's a terrible kind of collaboration as it were, going on between people who think they can block Brexit in Parliament and our European friends.”

Boris Johnson (1964) British politician, historian and journalist

Source: Boris Johnson: Brexit opponents 'collaborating' with EU https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-politics-49348072 BBC News (14 August 2019)

Vladimir Putin photo
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor photo
Mao Zedong photo

“Who are our enemies and who are our friends? This is the first and foremost question of a revolution and it is also the first and foremost question of the great Cultural Revolution.”

Mao Zedong (1893–1976) Chairman of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China

1967
Directives Regarding the Cultural Revolution (1966-1972)

“It wasn't difficult to retire. I have friends who have a family life and do their art and make it work. I realized I couldn't give myself to both, and I really wanted to make a life with my husband, so that's what I did.”

Kitty Winn (1943) American actress

Source: Winn Traded Film for Family https://www.sfgate.com/entertainment/article/WHERE-ARE-THEY-NOW-Winn-Traded-Film-for-Family-2917292.php (August 1, 1999)

Hebe Tien photo

“Everyone experiences ups and downs in their lives. I'm thankful enough to have good friends by my side through them all.”

Hebe Tien (1983) Taiwanese singer, actress

Source: Hebe Tien (2021) cited in " Hebe Tien Hints S.H.E Could Change Name If Copyright Issues With Ex-Label Can’t Be Resolved https://www.todayonline.com/8days/sceneandheard/entertainment/hebe-tien-hints-she-could-change-name-if-copyright-issues-ex-label" on Today Online, 6 January 2021.

Gilbert O'Sullivan photo

“You may have given me the breaks,
amended all my life's mistakes,
ooh, but wait a minute,
you don't own me.
You may be more than just a friend
on whose assistance I depend
ooh, but wait a minute,
you don't own me.”

Gilbert O'Sullivan (1946) Irish singer-songwriter

"You Don't Own Me"/"If I Know You" (song)
Gilbert O'Sullivan, "You Don't Own Me"/"If I Know You" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x5180atue8I (song combination on YouTube)
Song lyrics

Gilbert O'Sullivan photo

“When the world you live in
really gets you down,
when you feel a pain inside you
starting to pound,
and the girl you love,
she doesn't want to know,
let an old friend, as a godsend,
lead you to where peaceful waters flow”

Gilbert O'Sullivan (1946) Irish singer-songwriter

"Where Peaceful Waters Flow" (song)
Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Where Peaceful Waters Flow" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9FnSi2UtNYU (song on YouTube)
Song lyrics

Mike Gabbard photo

“We need to continue the conversation with mutual respect, and aloha. We need to keep talking about this with our friends, our family members, our colleagues, so that when the opportunity does come for change, we'll be ready.”

Mike Gabbard (1948) Samoan American politician

Source: Ahead of March for Life, 2 Democratic State Lawmakers Discuss the Pro-Life Movement and the Theme of ‘Unity’ https://www.ncregister.com/news/ahead-of-march-for-life-2-democratic-state-lawmakers-discuss-the-pro-life-movement-and-the-theme-of-unity (29 January 2021)

Edgar Guest photo

“None knows the day that friends must part
None knows how near is sorrow;
If there be laughter in your heart
Don't hold it for tomorrow.”

Edgar Guest (1881–1959) American writer

Source: A Heap o' Livin' (1916), A Song, opening lines, p. 34.

Edgar Guest photo
Jiddu Krishnamurti photo
Alfred Austin photo
Mitski photo

“I felt it was shaving away my soul little by little…The music industry is this supersaturated version of consumerism. You are the product being consumed, bought, and sold. Even the people on your team who are your friends, the very foundation of your dynamic is that they get a percentage of your income. Every time I turned something down, it would mean that they would make less money.”

Mitski (1990) Japanese-American singer-songwriter

Laurel Hell
Source: On why she initially decided to leave the music industry in Mitski Had to Quit Music to Love It” https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-features/mitski-new-album-laurel-hell-cover-story-1272973/ in Rolling Stone (2021 Dec 27)

Edgar Guest photo
Gilbert O'Sullivan photo
Gilbert O'Sullivan photo

“Clair, the moment I met you
I swear, I felt as if something somewhere
had happened to me
which I couldn't see
And then, the moment I met you again,
I knew in my heart that we were friends,
it had to be so
it couldn't be no
But try as hard as I might do, I don't know why
you get to me in a way I can't describe.
Words mean so little when you look up and smile.”

Gilbert O'Sullivan (1946) Irish singer-songwriter

"Clair" (song)
(+ Live performance in Japan, 1993. On YouTube) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qpdBX-u1dv8
Song lyrics
Source: Gilbert O'Sullivan, "Clair" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmeZaAry830 (song on YouTube.))

Gilbert O'Sullivan photo
Swami Vivekananda photo
Winston S. Churchill photo
Ricky Nelson photo
Bill Cosby photo

“I have never changed my stance nor my story. I have always maintained my innocence. Thank you to all my fans, supporters and friends who stood by me through this ordeal. Special thanks to the Pennsylvania Supreme Court for upholding the rules of law.”

Bill Cosby (1937) American actor, comedian, author, producer, musician, activist

Source: In 2021 on his acquittal concerning sexual assault allegations that involved him. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/general-news/bill-cosby-prison-release-1234976311/

Rumi photo
Rumi photo

“If you are looking for a friend who is faultless, you will be friendless.”

Rumi (1207–1273) Iranian poet

https://twitter.com/wise_chimp/status/1488946174321205253?s=21

Prevale photo

“The friend of the heart is the one who with his love senses where it is necessary and rushes to support you strongly without you saying anything.”

Prevale (1983) Italian DJ and producer

Original: ​​​​​(it) L'amico del cuore è colui che con il suo amore intuisce dove è necessario ed accorre a sostenerti prepotentemente senza che tu dica niente.

Samuel R. Delany photo
Pema Chödron photo

“Life is a good teacher and a good friend. Things are always in transition, if we could only realize it.”

Pema Chödron (1936) American philosopher

When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times (1997)