Another excerpt from my latest book, Simple Realities (The pathway to happiness and success), which is now available at Amazon.com and on Kindle.
I live in Toronto; he lives in Ottawa. We both have professional and family responsibilities. Neither of us would normally have any reason to go to Winnipeg. But I know that if I called him tonight and said nothing more than it was imperative that we meet in Winnipeg tomorrow, he would be there, no questions asked. I know this because if he made the call to me, I’d go.
When a good friend needs you there’s nothing more important than to be there.
It’s easy to tell who your best friend is: it’s the person who brings out the best in you.
Friendship is like a savings account; if you don’t make deposits there will be nothing to withdraw.
Short memories make long friendships.
Real friends don’t show up only when they want something.
Always try to make to make your friends feel better.
People who stand up to you when they should are better friends than those who defer to you when they shouldn’t.
Praising a friend who has achieved something enriches both your lives.
Friends stick with you when you’re wrong; anyone will be on your side when you’re right.
You should allow friends their peculiarities; they allow you yours.
Friendship occasionally includes liking people more than they deserve at that particular time.
When silence between two people is comfortable, they’re real friends.
When you make a fool of yourself, true friends know it isn’t permanent.
People who don’t want to really know you, but just want to know about you, aren’t friends.
Your best friends know all about you and still like you.
True friends don’t make everything a test of friendship.
It’s better to be faithful than famous.
Real friends encourage your strengths and help you overcome your weaknesses.
We don’t make friends, we recognize them.
The difference between friends and acquaintances is that friends help; acquaintances just advise.
Making friends is easy; it’s keeping them that’s hard.
True friends arrive when others are leaving.
Sympathetic people say they’re sorry; friends ask how they can help.
Short visits enhance long friendships.
Friends don’t compete, they co-operate.
What’s important to your friends has to be as important to you as their friendship is.
A friend’s honest point of view should add strength to the friendship.
If you think you can get along without others, you are wrong; and if you think that others can’t get along without you, you’re even more wrong.
Friends are always more important than things.
We should never hesitate to defend a friend who’s not present.
Loyalty is essential in friendships.
We shouldn’t demand that our friends be perfect until we become perfect.
Those who blame others to your face will blame you to theirs.
We should treat our friends like family and our family like friends.
We need to realize that even our friends will sometimes let us down.