A friend should be a master at guessing and keeping still: you must not want to see everything.

Our faith in others betrays that we would rather have faith in ourselves. Our longing for a friend is our betrayer. And often with our love we want merely to overcome envy. And often we attack and make ourselves enemies, to conceal that we are vulnerable.

Rejoicing in our joy, not suffering over our suffering, makes someone a friend.

Go up close to your friend, but do not go over to him! We should also respect the enemy in our friend.

The best friend will probably acquire the best wife, because a good marriage is founded on the talent for friendship.

The only service a friend can really render is to keep up your courage by holding up to you a mirror in which you can see a noble image of yourself.