One who holds his friends in good esteem and treats them with respect has gained many defenders and supporters against his enemies.

The need for faithful friends is no less than need for the vital necessities of life. Being among a secure and peaceful circle of friends means finding safety against many sorts of hazard and danger.

He is wise who, if a friendship is damaged, immediately removes the cause of discontentment and restores good relations. But even wiser is the one who is careful enough to avoid or prevent disagreement with his friends in the first place.

Love and good relations between friends continue so long as they understand each other, show self-denial and make sacrifices within permissible limits. The friendship between those who cannot renounce their interests and preferences for the sake of their friends cannot be enduring.

One is loyal and faithful to one's friends to the extent one shares in their troubles as well as in their joys. The one who cannot weep when his friends weep and rejoice when they rejoice cannot be regarded as a faithful friend.

If we cannot accept the criticism made of us by those we love and who love us, we may lose our friends and remain unaware of our defects.

One who maintains a friendship with a friend who has fallen on hard times is a true, loyal friend. Whoever does not support his friends against their misfortunes has nothing to do with friendship.

Those who tend to disagree and struggle with their friends have few friends. One who desires to have friends both faithful and in great number should avoid disagreement with them on trivial matters.

Friendship is something pertaining to the heart and its sincerity. Those who think they can gain others' friendship through deception and hypocrisy are themselves in a manifest deception. Even if there are around them some simple-minded people who have been taken in by their hypocrisy and flattery, it is inconceivable that they will long be able to sustain friendship with them.

Do not remember the promises that others have failed to keep; instead, consider the undertakings you yourself have failed to carry out. Do not blame others because they have not done good to you; instead, remember the chances you have missed of doing something good to someone else.