A friend, therefore, is a sort of paradox in nature. I who alone am, I who see nothing in nature whose existence I can affirm with equal evidence to my own, behold now the semblance of my being, in all its height, variety, and curiosity, reiterated in a foreign form; so that a friend may well be reckoned the masterpiece of nature.
Interpretation
A friend reflects our own existence and individuality in a unique way.
In this quote, Emerson suggests that a friend embodies a paradoxical relationship where one person can witness their own essence and complexity through another. It highlights the profound connection between friends, as each serves as a mirror revealing the nuances of one's identity and humanity, making friendship one of the greatest creations of nature.
In practice
In a speech about the value of companionship and understanding, this quote can be used to emphasize the depth of friendship.
It is plain that there is no separate essence called courage, no cup or cell in the brain, no vessel in the heart containing drops or atoms that make or give this virtue; but it is the right or healthy state of every man, when he is free to do that which is constitutional to him to do.
Few people have any next, they live from hand to mouth without a plan, and are always at the end of their line.
Men cease to interest us when we find their limitations
Tis the good reader that makes the good book; a good head cannot read amiss: in every book he finds passages which seem confidences or asides hidden from all else and unmistakeably meant for his ear.
The world belongs to the energetic.
Hast thou named all the birds without a gun?
Two are better than one,because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lif' up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not another to help him up.
The nearest friends can go With anyone to death, comes so far short They might as well not try to go at all.
When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.
There is no friend like an old friend who has shared our morning days, no greeting like his welcome, no homage like his praise.
There is magic in the memory of schoolboy friendships; it softens the heart, and even affects the nervous system of those who have no heart.
You were the one who made things different, you were the one who took me in. You were the one thing I could count on, above all, you were my friend.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.