He was one of those men who possess almost every gift, except the gift of the power to use them.
Charles KingsleyRead
A blessed thing it is to have a friend; one human soul whom we can trust utterly; who knows the best and worst of us, and who loves us in spite of all our faults; who will speak the honest truth to us, while the world flatters us to our face, and laughs at us behind our back; who will give us counsel and reproof in a day of prosperity and self-conceit; but who, again, will comfort and encourage us in days of difficulty and sorrow, when the world leaves us alone to fight our own battle as we can.
Interpretation
What this quote means
A true friend accepts us unconditionally and offers honest support through life's ups and downs.
This quote by Charles Kingsley expresses the profound value of true friendship. It highlights the rarity and blessing of having a friend who knows us deeply, embraces our imperfections, and provides unwavering support. Such a friend is not only a source of comfort during challenging times but also offers honest feedback to help us grow, contrasting with the superficiality often found in social interactions. In essence, the quote emphasizes that a genuine friendship enriches our lives and provides invaluable companionship amidst life's trials and tribulations.
Themes
FriendshipTrustSupportHonestyLoyalty
In practice
Example use cases
In a speech about the importance of relationships, one might say, 'As Charles Kingsley reminds us, a true friend is a treasure.'
More from Charles Kingsley
All quotes βBeauty is God's handwriting β a wayside sacrament; welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank for it Him.
Charles KingsleyRead
Take comfort, and recollect however little you and I may know, God knows; He knows Himself and you and me and all things; and His mercy is over all His works.
Charles KingsleyRead
Being forced to work, and forced to do your best, will breed in you temperance and self-control, diligence and strength of will, cheerfulness and content, and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know.
Charles KingsleyRead
Do today's duty, fight to-day's temptation; and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see, and could not understand if you saw them.
Charles KingsleyRead
You must not talk about 'ain't and can't' when you speak of this great wonderful world round you, of which the wisest man knows only the very smallest corner, and is, as the great Sir Isaac Newton said, only a child picking up pebbles on the shore of a boundless ocean.
Charles KingsleyRead
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Among true and real friends, all is common; and were ignorance and envy and superstition banished from the world, all mankind would be friend.
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The heart of a friend gives out sufficient light for us in the dark to rise by.
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We ought, all of us, to realize each other in this intense, pathetic, and important way. If you say that this is absurd, and that we cannot be in love with everyone at once, I merely point out to you that, as a matter of fact, certain persons do exist with an enormous capacity for friendship and for taking delight in other people's lives; and that such persons know more of truth than if their hearts were not so big.
William JamesRead
Oh how sweet it is to hear one's own convictions from another's lips.
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We fought in 1974 - that was a long time ago. After 1981, we became the best of friends. By 1984, we loved each other. I am not closer to anyone else in this life than I am to Muhammad Ali. Why? We were forged by that first fight in Zaire, and our lives are indelibly linked by memories and photographs, as young men and old men.
George ForemanRead