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I recently read an anonymous quote that goes like this: “Life is kind of like a party. You invite a lot of people, some leave early, some stay all night, some laugh with you, some laugh at you and some show up late. But in the end, after the fun, there are a few who stay to help you clean up the mess. And most of the time, they aren’t even the ones who made the mess. These people are your true friends in life.” I thought it was a fantastic way to describe some of the friendships that enter our lives.
There are a lot of friendships that come and go in your life. Some friendships are there to show you a good time and some of them are there to teach you a lesson. There are a few however, that will stick with you and ride the ups and downs of life with you. You may have been lucky enough to cross paths with them early in life, or they may have just recently made their way into your world. Regardless, these friends that make your life a better place and love you for who you are, the ones who stick by you – these are what we consider to be true friends.
So anyway, that quote inspired me to go down a wee rabbit hole of looking at quotes about true friends and quotes about best friends. All I can say, is man there is a lot of quotes about friendship out there! Also, people have said a lot of really profound things about friendships. I thought I could draw on some of the wisdom and experiences of others to help show you what makes a friend a true friend.
These best friend quotes and quotes about true friendship help reveal to us the 10 signs of a true friend.
10 Signs of a True Friend
“True friendship comes when the silence between two people is comfortable.”
David Tyson
This quote could not be more true. Too often people feel the need to fill silences and continuously be saying something, because you know, silence can be awkward. I am sure you have experienced a time when you felt the weight of silence. That awkward heavy feeling inside of you that is simply suffocating. It’s the kind of feeling that makes you want to get the heck out of the situation. However, unfortunately 9 times out of 10, it’s probably considered socially inappropriate to do so. So instead, you’re left nervously babbling through the silence. You sit there cringing at yourself for word vomiting at this person, yet somehow you’re unable to stop yourself.
But, oh the sweet difference you experience when you’re in silence with a true friend. All the awkwardness just melts away!
A great sign that someone is your true friend is when you can sit in comfortable silence with them for literally hours and not feel like you want the ground to swallow you up. Your comfortability in being silent in their presence is a subtle sign that you trust them and that they make you feel comfortable around them. There is no internal pressure to be filling the space with noise and conversation to cope. You are simply happy to just exist around them. You don’t even have to be doing the same thing.
When you are around a true friend you could be doing something with them or even nothing at all and you would still be having the time of your life. You could be in a fantastic mood, or really be having a bad day and still you are able to feel comfortable enough to not feel forced to talk.
“A true friend accepts who you are but also helps you become who you should be.”
unknown
Another of the 10 signs of a true friend is that your friend knows who are and wants you to become the best version of yourself. They know (and love) all your little quirks that you may be afraid to show off to the world. They know all your random pet peeves, your hidden talents and your little obsessions. When you are around each other, you both get to be your silly, wild, nerdy, quiet, goofy, authentic selves. You really aren’t afraid to be true to yourself around them because they create a safe, encouraging space for you shine in. There’s honestly something so beautiful (and freeing) about being able to really be yourself around someone and to know that they are being themselves in return. When you reach this stage in friendship, you can feel confident that you have a true friend.
Another wonderful sign of a true friend that this quote highlights, is that true friends want you to reach your full potential. True friends understand that personal growth is an important part of your life and they are here to support it. They know your goals and understand what you are trying to achieve in your life. Whether your goals are to do with your love life, wellbeing, career, family, travel etc., they are there to help support your journey.
A true friend does not try to undermine you, weigh you down, enable your temptations, or get in the way of you achieving your goals. If your friend is doing this, they may well be a toxic friend. Instead, true friends are able to cheer you on and celebrate you when things are going well. They are also a shoulder for you to lean and keep you moving towards your goals when you are struggling. A true and genuine friend is someone who always wants the best for you and wants you to be all you can be.
People’s houses say a lot about them.
This is genuinely something others can get judgmental about. So when your friend is able to see your house in a not “presentable” state, you know you have reached a deeper level of friendship with them.
This is not to say that this quote is an excuse for you to never clean your house. Nor is it to say that if you pride yourself on keeping your house clean and putting in the effort to make it nice for your friends, that you don’t have true friends. It’s more that you are able to feel comfortable with your friends seeing your messes and also knowing that you don’t always have your life organised.
I like to think this quote means that if your friend were to show up unannounced, or you didn’t have time to clean, you wouldn’t feel embarrassed or judged by them seeing the mess. Instead, you’d feel okay with them knowing that you are regular person, whose house isn’t spotless 100% of the time.
“Best friends are people in your life who make you laugh louder, smile brighter and live better.”
Unknown
You’re probably reading this quote and someone is already coming to mind. A friend who you genuinely love being around because they make you feel so so good. If you have a friend that this quote reminds you of, you are lucky. You have a true friend.
The key to knowing you have true friend in this case is to look at how you feel when you are around them. If you are left feeling anxious, unhappy and stressed after spending time with them, they probably aren’t a true friend. If they make you feel worse about yourself and it starts to effect your self image or your life, then they are not a true friend either. Both of these are indicators of an unhealthy friendship.
However, if your friend brings joy to your life, makes you feel good about yourself, and genuinely make your life better by being in it, they are likely to be a true friend. These friends give you a sense of belonging. They make you feel light and happy. You also genuinely look forward to spending time with them and you can feel that they enjoy your presence too. These are the kinds of friends you want in life.
“True friendship resists time, distance and silence.”
Isabel allendale
True friendships last the distance. If your friendship truly means something to the both of you, you will cherish it no matter where you are in the world. This friendship will always have a special place in your heart. You will always find a way to come back to each other and reconnect.
True friendships are also able to last time and silence. It doesn’t matter whether its been days, months, r years since you last talked. As soon as you start talking with your friend it’s as if you had never stopped. If it has been a minute since you have talked to your friend, they don’t take offence. Instead, they show you understanding and patience. They get that life gets busy, and that you may not always have the time to talk to them. When you do get back in contact, you are pick up right where you left off. You quickly catch each other up to date with what is going on in your lives and easily slip back into the flow of your friendship.
Some wise words from our favourite yellow bear, Winnie The Pooh. Honestly, Winnie the Pooh has some pretty cute quotes about life and friendships. This particular quote highlights how sometimes a friend will not have the resources, knowledge or experience to help you, but they will always be willing to support you by offering their ear.
A true friend knows that you may not always need them to solve all of your problems. They can also understand that your needs may vary. Some days you may need them to validate your feelings, be angry at someone alongside you, or to give you their opinion and advice. However, they also recognise that sometimes all you need is for them to sit down, not say anything, and just listen to what you have to say. In these moments, they know you’re not out there for advice, you don’t want someone to fix your problems, you simply want to be heard and feel understood. A true friend knows this and is able to give this to you.
Knowing exactly what you need from them may not be completely intuitive to your friend (even if they are a true friend). Afterall, they are not mind readers. However, they do make an effort to ask you what you need. In these moments, they may turn to you and directly ask: “Do you need my advice, or would you like me to sit and just listen?”. Hint hint, this is definitely a great question to keep in your back pocket. In return, you are also not afraid to ask them for what you need.
“Only a true friend would be that truly honest.”
Donkey (Shrek)
True friends are the friends who are able to overcome the awkwardness and confronting feelings that go alongside telling someone the truth. They are able to open and upfront with you.
A true friend will be honest with you about the little things. For example, not being afraid to tell you that you have something stuck in your teeth. More importantly though, they are able to be honest with you about the bigger things. For example, telling you when and how your behaviour has upset them. Honestly, that can take a lot of courage.
True friends are able to give you their honest opinion when you ask for it. They can also do it tactfully, so that they don’t hurt your feelings too much. However, they so also know how to read you. They know when you need brutal honesty and when you may need a softer more sensitive approach.
“A true friend is someone who sees the pain in your eyes while everyone else believes the smile on your face.”
unknown
There will be times in life when you experience hurt or sorrow. You may try to cover it up with a smile or by cracking a joke. You might be able to cover your feelings up so well that you fool most people. However, a true friend can see right through this mask that you’re putting on. There’s no fooling them by smiling and saying that you’re fine. They can sense when you are not okay. They don’t need to ask if you are okay to know, they can simply feel when your mood is off.
When you become close with someone, you start to become familiar with their moods, emotions, and how they are expressed. You unconsciously become tuned into their feelings and what their subtle changes in emotions look and feel like. So instinctively, you become able to recognise when they are feeling a particular way or their feelings shift. When a friend can recognise this in you, it is a sign that they are emotionally connected to you and that they genuinely care about you.
“One of the most beautiful qualities of true friendship is to understand and be understood.” – Lucius Annaeus Seneca
Humans are social beings. We have a strong desire to be heard, understood and accepted. These are arguably our fundamental needs. It’s even been discussed in research how respondents who more frequently felt understood by others rated themselves as having higher life satisfaction, happiness and increased health.
One person that can give you this understanding is a true friend. A true friend will have gotten to this stage of understanding because you have been open and vulnerable with them. They know you far more than other people in your life do. They understand what drives you, what triggers you, what you need and want in life and so much more. In return you have hopefully been able to learn lots about them and give a great level of understanding in return. With this shared understanding you create a deep sense of connection and knowing that forms the basis of a true friendship.
Like this quote indicates, your true friends are the ones you want to live life with. They are the ones you want to consistently go out and experience things with. The ones you want to create crazy stories and beautiful memories with. The kind of stories that you tell to others.
If your friend is usually the one involved in the stories that you tell others, this is definitely one of the signs that they are a true friend. It shows that they have a significant presence in your life and that they are someone you are choosing to keep around. They’re the kind of friend that you’ve built a history with. The one you can turn to and say: “Remember that time we…” and they go, “yes and remember how…. ” and then you get to have the joy bringing a shared memory to life with them.
Sometimes due to life circumstances, you and your friend may not live near each other. This means they physically can’t be part of your everyday adventures, but this doesn’t mean that they aren’t your true friend. If you know that when you do get to live near each other, they are the person you call when you want hang out with someone, you know they are a true friend. They’re someone who you want to spend your time with.
As an old Irish proverb says: “A good friend is like a four-leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.” If you have been lucky enough to find yourself some true friends, be sure to cherish them. Invest your time and energy into your friendship with them, and do not take them for granted.
If you are yet to find some true friends in life, that’s okay, your party is still going. Your true friends may just be the ones that arrive late. Keep these 10 signs of a true friend in your mind and be open to forming new friendships. You never know when a true friend is going to walk into your life and change it for the better.
