I am happy to have once again been nominated to take part in the Quotes Challenge, this time by fellow blogger amommasview over there in Australia. Momma’s posts are always informative and thought-provoking, on topics as varied as health and fitness, kids and homeschooling and environmental issues – plus many more. It was Past Present and Future that Momma chose to do for her Quotes Challenge and for my three quotes I’ve decided to look at the theme of Friends and Friendship – something we all need in our lives.
One of my favourite friendship quotes is believed to come from William Shakespeare in a collection of poems called The Passionate Pilgrim. It isn’t one of the three quotes I’ve picked for the challenge because I’ve decided to write it here as a sort of introduction to the friendship theme instead. I believe that friendship is very important, and good friends can really enrich the quality of our daily lives. Well, this is Shakespeare’s quote:
“Words are easy, like the wind; faithful friends are hard to find.”
I don’t doubt the saying is true. We can all make ‘fairweather’ friends throughout our lives – those who are happy to be with us when the going is good. But when things get tough…? That’s when we find out who our real friends are.
This is my Friendship Quote for Day Three:
I think this quote makes a good discussion piece. I see it as meaning that it is better to go through difficult times with a friend – or friends – than through easy times alone and friendless. Friendlessness can so often mean loneliness – not something many people would willingly choose. Good friends will be there for each other, even when life gets tough or sadness strikes.
The rules for this challenge are simple:
- Post three different quotes on consecutive days. They can be from any source, or your own. All three quotes can be of a similar theme (as I have chosen Friendship) or can all be completely different/unrelated.
- Nominate 3 people for the challenge. I have chosen to nominate 3 different people each day – making a total of 9 – but some people just nominate 3 altogether. It’s up to you.
These are my three nominees for today:
Claremary P. Sweeney at Around Zu Zu’s Barn
As this is the last day of my Quotes Clallenge, I want to finish by offering one last ‘Friendship’ quote. I was reminded of this one a few weeks ago by Amanda, on her blog, Forestwoodfolkart. Every Thursday, Amanda posts a couple of proverbs for readers to interpret/discuss – some Scandinavian, others…well…not Scandinavian. 🙂 She has posted several by Confucius, and this is one of them. I did think of using it as one of my three, but it holds a slightly different meaning to the those I eventually picked. Well, with many thanks to Amanda and a link to her Proverbial Thursday post, here is the quote:
“It is more shameful to distrust our friends than to be deceived by them.”
― Confucius
Now this is a discussion piece, if ever I heard one. But I’ll leave you to ponder on it.
*****
Millie Thom 
wonderful quote!
I like this quote too☺☺☺
Thank you, Lina. There are a lot of great quotes about friendship. It was difficult to pick just three. 😀
Haha..I get that feeling 😂
That’s life, as they say. 🙂
Now I can’t stop thinking about that Confucius quote!
I know! it’s a good one, isn’t it? “Good old Confucius …always out to confuse us.” (You have to say that sentence quickly.)
hahaha 😀
What is your interpretation of this quote, Snowsomewhere and may I ask, why did it garner your attention?
Thanks for asking! I guess why I keep playing it in my head is because I’m not 100% sure if I agree. I know the noble answer would be yes, that’s true, but to be honest, most people probably aren’t that selfless. Or maybe it’s just me! 🙂 I think the point is, that you should just try to be open and positive in all situations and you’ll end up being the winner. What about you?
I was completely befuddled at first. But I did think about it for some time and then I could see another angle that perhaps he was getting at. I think he emphasizes that a susicious nature is bad news for everyone. Better to make a mistake and learn than from it than be suspicious of many? Does that make sense?
Yes, that does make sense. I think it might be about having a “pure heart”, to put it poetically 🙂 Which is actually what you’re saying.
An interesting expression. I had not thought of a pure heart being used in this context but I think you are most definitely right!
What a great quote, I’d never heart that one — thanks for sharing!
Or “heard” it either, either way. 😉
Either’s fine by me! 🙂
Thanks, Joy. I thought of you for this challenge, but reckoned you’d be knee-deep in editing, as well as catching up on flash fiction. You certainly had a great NaNo. Well done! 🙂
I haven’t even gotten to either editing or flash fiction, because I’m still neck-deep in catching up on real life!
You’ll soon be back to normal. It’s a manic time of year, anyway. I don’t think anything’s going to be ‘normal’ until January. Shopping, shopping… and more shopping. 🙂
A very beautiful and meaningful quote , Millie 🙂
Thank you, Freda. There are quite a lot of quotes on Friendship that I like. It was difficult to pick three. 🙂
Ha… Great quote and a very thought provoking way to end it…
Thank you! And thank you again for the nomination. That final quote from Confucius is one we could debate for a while, I think. 🙂
Definitely!
Thanks Millie for the lovely link back to my blog, ‘Something to Ponder About’ – where you will indeed find Proverbial Thursday. (My username is Forestwoodfolkart) I have been away on holidays so there has been no Proverbial Thursday this week, unfortunately. But I am glad you have taken up the baton in my absence. I love the pun you made about Confucius confusing us, as he surely does with this quote. But when you ponder it a while it is a little clearer. I do think trust is a huge part of friendship and most of ushas an inbuilt desire to want others to be ‘good’ and do the right thing by us. A failure to trust others is, according to Confucius, shameful. He is warning us to avoid becoming a suspicious, perhas even gossip mongering person who brings trouble to a community. Of course blind trust in every single stranger is unrealistic and many of us have an inbuilt radar that protects us from foolish trust in strangers. Within a frienship though, much is to be learned by each person through, and following an act of deception, albeit painful. Am I making sense here, Millie?
You are making perfect sense, Amanda, and I do agree with what you have explained. I know I commented on the proverb at the time. It’s a very thought-provoking one, and one that certainly makes a good discussion piece. I’ve no idea where I heard that pun before. It’s one I’ve known for years and it just came to mind when I was talking to Snowsomewhere yesterday.
Thank you for correcting my blunder about your user name and the great explanation about the saying. I’ll look forward to the next proverb you post from Confucius. 🙂
No worries, Millie!!
And there are more thought-provoking quotes to come in the Confucian series.
I also would like to point out the wisdom in the Helen Keller quote.I agree it can refer to the difficult times and the benefits of friends to help one through. Goodness knows I needed my girlfriends and a strong cuppa at many times of crisis.
However, for Helen the darkness was her world and she struggled to make sense of it, but how she blossomed when she gained a teacher, and friend.
Friends give our life meaning and almost everyone who is without a friend would feel lonely. Loneliness can be desperate, sad, debilitating and may affect individuals in every life stage. In a cruel experiment in the fifties, animals and very young children were deprived of their paternal affection and after only three months withdrew into a comatose like state completely withdrawn from reality. Similarly, lack of a friend/loneliness can be likened to a loss of interest, affection and attention from others. Underneath it all, we humans need some degree of attention lest we also like the babies in that experiment wither and die.I am so glad Helen Keller found her friend and was spared a life of loneliness. To her, friendship was more important than light.
Yes, Helen Keller did have a great deal to cope with. Blindness and deafness together must be truly debilitating. When applied to Helen Keller’s life, this quote has so much more depth and meaning. But I do think we can all apply it to our lives, too. As I said on my quotes page, and you have reiterated here, loneliness can be extremely debilitating and have long-lasting, even permanent consequences. Thank you for your wonderfully insightful comments, Amanda. 🙂
Lovely quote. Oh yes friends are so very very important. What would life be without them? Thank you for your friendship too xx
And you for yours. You never know, we may meet up sometime in the near future. We often pop ‘down south’! You can give me a few more knitting tips then. 😀
Thanks for thinking of me with the quotes. Now I’ll have to think about what I’ll say. It might take time! 🙂
There’s no rush to get the challenge done, Peggy – after Christmas will be fine. You do seem to have a lot of posts to sort out right now, so save these for a less hectic time. Thank you for accepting, anyway! That’s great. 🙂
You caught me in a weak moment! 🙂
I love the quotes and the one by Confucius is really worth reflecting on. It also makes me think of how our thoughts can affect the relationship we have with others. A mind already suspicious of someone will consistently see the faults it’s searching for and set the other person on edge.
Great post Millie.
Yes, the Confucius post can be looked at in lots of ways. I think it does lead us to think about how a suspicious mind can damage a relationship. Trust doesn’t always come easily to some people. But I suppose it depends on both parties/friends. Confucius thought it was dishonourable to mistrust a friend. It’s a thought-provoking quote all round.Thanks for the great comment, Chioma. :
You’re welcome, thanks for sharing it with us.
You left the strongest one for the last part,dear Millie!Wonderful choice showing the importance of making friends and supporting the real concept of friendship.Moreover,I liked your reference to Amanda’s work and her selected Confucius quote.Enjoy a peaceful Saturday evening with your friends 🙂 xxx
Yes, this quote is particularly meaningful as it was said by Helen Keller who, very sadly, was blind and deaf from a very young age. Her own struggles through life are reflected in this quote. But it can be applied to us all and the concept of friendship. Thank you for the lovely comment. 🙂
Yes,I know about her and how much she appreciated everything without seeing it …
The touch,the smell,the aura of everything around her could touch her soul.Wasn’t it magnificent ?
She was a marvellous woman and had honed her other senses so well.