No one cares how many Facebook friends you have. The quantity of your friendships will never make you happy. What’s the point of being connected to a bunch of people you don’t trust? These 13 quotes about love will help you understand the meaning of true friendship.
1. “A friend is someone who knows all about you and still loves you.” ― Elbert Hubbard
A true friendship cannot blossom in the presence of judgement. If you are afraid to tell a person you love anything about your past, then you should consider whether they belong in your life.
2. “It is better to be hated for what you are than to be loved for what you are not.” ― André Gide
A true friendship cannot be built on a foundation of lies. Concealing the truth to convince people to like you reflects a lack of self-confidence in who you are. Why should you care about pleasing people who will never accept you?
3. “There are all types of love in this world, but never the same love twice.” ― F. Scott Fitzgerald
A true friendship cannot be special if it is a mirror image of another. Expecting a new person to replace an old friend is a foolish endeavor that will only result in disappointment.
4. “Love is someone showing you the beauty in things you’ve never noticed before…things in yourself mostly.” ― Mama Zara
A true friendship cannot survive an atmosphere of negativity. While a true friend shouldn’t be afraid to be brutally honest, they should also be a positive influence that inspires you to be better.
5. “Love takes off masks that we fear we cannot live without and know we cannot live within.” ― James Baldwin
A true friendship cannot thrive without total transparency. If you can’t reveal secrets without fear of being scolded, then why should you bother spending time with that person?
6. “I like not only to be loved, but also to be told I am loved.” ― George Eliot
A true friendship cannot flourish without words of encouragement. People who don’t appreciate you don’t deserve you. When there is an imbalance in kindness between two halves of a relationship, it is time to have a difficult conversation.
7. “I’m selfish, impatient and a little insecure. I make mistakes, I am out of control and at times hard to handle. But if you can’t handle me at my worst, then you sure as hell don’t deserve me at my best.” ― Marilyn Monroe
A true friendship cannot be sustained if you are unable to forgive the faults of another. A person who hurts you continuously without regret shouldn’t be trusted, but we are all human and make mistakes, so forgiveness should be granted (without any guilt attached!) as long as an apology is presented.
8. “I’m a mirror. If you’re cool with me, I’m cool with you, and the exchange starts. What you see is what you reflect. If you don’t like what you see, then you’ve done something. If I’m standoffish, that’s because you are.” ― Jay-Z
A true friendship cannot exist without an ability to confront your shortcomings. Before you assume a person is being cold for no reason, perform an honest assessment of how you are behaving. Most people don’t shut down emotionally unless they have a good reason.
9. “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength, while loving someone deeply gives you courage.” ― Lao Tzu
A true friendship cannot strengthen you without a readiness to return the emotional investment. Love is a gift that must be given equally between both parties in a relationship.
10. “Let us always meet each other with a smile, for the smile is the beginning of love.” ― Mother Teresa
A true friendship cannot be found if you expect all people to mistreat you. A frown is a visual cue that you aren’t interested in meeting others, while a smile is an open invitation for people to approach you.
11. “Immature love says: ‘I love you because I need you.’ Mature love says ‘I need you because I love you.’” ― Erich Fromm
A true friendship cannot be all about you. Viewing a friend as if they are a part of your existence, without considering that they have a life beyond you, reflects a self-centered worldview. Just because a person doesn’t want to hang out with you doesn’t mean they don’t like you; maybe they worked all day and need some time alone to relax and recharge.
12. “The best thing to hold on to in life is each other.” ― Audrey Hepburn
A true friendship cannot serve you if you don’t seek support when you need it. Being vulnerable will help you relieve the burden you carry, and a single hug is often more soothing than a thousand words.
13. “Love all, trust a few, do wrong to none.” ― William Shakespeare
A true friendship cannot be gifted to everybody you meet. While it is good to love people without question, it is silly to believe all people will care about your feelings. Don’t be afraid to open up, but protect yourself from betrayal by only revealing your deepest and darkest secrets to true friends worth having.
Featured photo credit: with love always/Beverley Goodwin via flickr.com
