Great souls by instinct to each other turn,
Demand alliance, and in friendship burn.
—Addison
Fast as the rolling seasons bring
The hour of fate to those we love,
Each pearl that leaves the broken string
Is set in Friendship’s crown above.
As narrower grows the earthly chain,
The circle widens in the sky;
These are our treasures that remain,
But those are stars that beam on high.
—O. W. Holmes
There is nothing more becoming any wise man, than to make choice of friends, for by them thou shalt be judged as thou art; let them therefore be wise and virtuous, and none of those that follow thee for gain; but make election rather of thy betters, than thy inferiors.
—Sir Walter Raleigh
True friendship is like sound health: the value of it is seldom known until it be lost.
—C. C. Colton
A woman’s friendship borders more closely on love than man’s. Men affect each other in the reflection of noble or friendly acts; whilst women ask fewer proofs and more signs and expressions of attachment.
—Coleridge
Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing.
—Franklin