A Little Book of Friendship

by Ruskin Bond

‘Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, “What! You too? I thought I was the only one.”’ —C.S. Lewis

‘The true test of friendship is to be able to sit or walk with a friend for an hour in perfect silence without wearying of one another’s company.’ —Dinah Maria Craik

To a Squirrel ‘Come play with me; Why should you run Through the shaking tree As though I’d a gun To strike you dead? When all I would do Is to scratch your head And let you go.’ —W.B. Yeats

People come to tell me of your faults, dear friend. They go over them, again and again, and I nod and listen patiently, for I have known them all too well. I cannot expect these well-wishers to see that your faults have made me love you more.

The nice thing about old photographs is that we can turn to them from time to time, relive the past, revive old friendships, admire ourselves when we were younger, shed a sentimental tear or two, and come back to the present with a feeling that life isn’t such a waste of time, after all… Friends and lovers have come and gone, and life has been richer because of them. There’s something to be said for photography: it puts life into perspective!

‘When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.’ —Japanese proverb

‘You can’t stay in your corner of the forest waiting for others to come to you. You have to go to them sometimes.’ —A.A. Milne

‘If you live to be a hundred, I want to live to be a hundred minus one day so I never have to live without you.’ —A.A. Milne

‘Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the ideal life.’ —Mark Twain

‘It’s the friends you can call up at 4 a.m. that matter.’ —Marlene Dietrich

‘Can miles truly separate you from friends… If you want to be with someone you love, aren’t you already there?’ —Richard Bach

Friendship is all about doing things together. It may be climbing a mountain, fishing in a mountain stream, cycling along a country road, camping in a forest clearing or simply travelling together and sharing the experiences that a new place can bring.

‘Are you upset, little friend? Have you been lying awake worrying? Well, don’t worry…I’m here. The flood waters will recede, the famine will end, the sun will shine tomorrow, and I will always be here to take care of you.’ —Charles M. Schulz

‘Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.’ —Ally Condie

‘A man without a smiling face must not open a shop.’ —Chinese proverb

‘May God be praised for woman That gives up all her mind, A man may find in no man A friendship of her kind…’ —W.B. Yeats

‘Food for one is enough for two.’ —Tunisian proverb

‘A friend to all is a friend to none.’ —Aristotle

‘A friend cannot be known in prosperity; an enemy cannot be hidden in adversity.’ —Elbert Hubbard

‘Do not save your loving speeches for your friends till they are dead. Do not write them on their tombstones, speak them rather now instead.’ —Anna Cummins

‘You can win more friends with your ears than you can with your mouth.’ —Dale Carnegie

‘If you and I are no different, what do we have to give each other? How can we ever be friends?’ —Christopher Isherwood