In some situations I was difficult, in odd moments impossible, in rare moments loathsome, but at my best unapproachably great.
Oscar LevantRead
I have no trouble with y enemies. But my god damn friends... they are the ones that keep me walking the floors at night.
Interpretation
What this quote means
Friends can often bring more stress than enemies due to their close emotional ties.
This quote by Oscar Levant highlights the paradox of friendships, suggesting that while enemies are often clear-cut and confrontational, friends can complicate our emotional lives and create significant worry or turmoil. The intensity of friendship can lead to a deep sense of responsibility and concern for their actions and feelings, sometimes making it harder to find peace than dealing with adversaries.
Themes
FriendsEnemiesStressEmotionsRelationships
In practice
Example use cases
This quote could be shared during a discussion about the complexities of relationships at a friendship seminar.
More from Oscar Levant
All quotes βWhen I appeared before the draft board examiner during World War II, he asked me if I thought I could kill. "I don't know about strangers," I replied, "but friends, certainly."
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I'm a study of a man in chaos in search of frenzy.
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I envy people who drink. At least they have something to blame everything on.
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Roses are red, violets are blue, I'm schizophrenic, and so am I.
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The only difference between the Democrats and the Republicans is that the Democrats allow the poor to be corrupt, too.
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They might not need me; but they might. I'll let my head be just in sight; a smile as small as mine might be precisely their necessity.
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Friends are all souls that we've known in other lives. We're drawn to each other. Even if I have only known them a day, it doesn't matter. I'm not going to wait till I have known them for two years, because anyway, we must have met somewhere before, you know.
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Nothing will ever please me, no matter how excellent or beneficial, if I must retain the knowledge of it to myself. . . . . . No good thing is pleasant to possess, without friends to share it.
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