Top 30 English proverbs about friendship with explanation
English is among the most widely spoken languages in the world. Like numerous other popular languages, English has many elements that enrich the language. These include idioms, proverbs, sayings, and puns. What are some of the best English proverbs about friendship, and what do they mean?
Source: UGC
There are numerous aspects touching on friendships. These include the art of creating them, keeping them alive, and telling genuine ones from the fakes. These proverbs touch on all these elements.
Top English proverbs about friendship
Here is a look at some nice proverbs about friendship.
Common proverbs related to friendship
Source: UGC
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The English language has been around for quite a while. Over the years, there have been numerous sayings about friends. Here are some common English proverbs on friendship.
- A dog is a man's best friend.
Dogs are usually described as some of the most loyal domestic animals. They are faithful companions who value their owners, befriend them, and would do anything for them without asking much in return.
- A friend at hand is better than a relative at a distance.
This means that while one may have a blood relative, they might be so far from their life to be of any help. A close friend, on the other hand, is often of much more help than the said relative.
- A friend in need is a friend indeed.
This proverb means that a person who sticks with you during your hour of need is a true friend indeed. Sometimes, a person's false friends will desert them once some assistance is required.
- A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity.
This proverb places friendship higher than brotherhood. It means that when one has a friend, they will be available for the sad and happy times. A brother, on the other hand, usually comes in handy when adversity strikes.
- A friend to all is a friend to none.
Forming a friendship with a person who is friends with everyone is not unique or truly valuable. Most times, you will realize that you cannot count on them. They will not protect you or stick up for you when you have problems with others because they are friends with everyone else too.
- A friend's eye is a good mirror.
This proverb is used to underpin the essence of a good friend to a person's understanding of themselves. It means that a friend can help you know more about yourself, like looking at your reflection in the mirror.
- A good friend is like a four-leaf clover, hard to find and lucky to have.
In English culture, four-leaved clovers are considered lucky charms. Still, they are extremely hard to find. The proverb likens good friendship to such a clover.
- A man is known by the friends he keeps.
People usually judge a person based on the company you keep. Others will look at your friends and make assumptions about you based on your friends' characters. The proverb is also phrased as 'A man is known by the company he keeps.'
- A man who has friends must himself be friendly.
This one just means what it sounds like. A friendship is created through two people. A friendship won't last long if only one person tries. Just like any relationship, both sides of a friendship must actively work at the friendship for it to flourish.
- A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.
When everyone else leaves you in your life, including your spouse or family, the ones that step in and help you are your real friends. A real friend will stand by you even when everyone else (the world) walks out on you.
- Absence makes the heart grow fonder.
When your friend is physically away from you, you miss them even more. This is because one tends to think more fondly and positively about those not near them.
- Best friends make good times better and hard times easier.
A good friend makes things brighter. The proverb means that with friendship, whatever is bad becomes good, whatever is good becomes better, and what is better becomes the best.
- Birds of a feather flock together.
People who have similar personalities or who enjoy certain activities tend to be together most of the time and eventually usually become friends. The personalities and activities can be either bad or good.
- False friends are worse than open enemies.
It's better to know who your enemy is instead of believing someone is your friend, only to find out that they aren't. A person can easily know what to do with or against their known enemy, but a fake friend catches them by surprise.
- Familiarity breeds contempt.
This proverb is meant to warn friends against knowing too much about each other. When you know pretty much everything about a person, you can easily lose respect for them. It is always nice for friends to keep some mystery between them.
Unique proverbs about friendship
Source: UGC
Are you looking for the best proverbs for friendship? Here are some beautiful best friend proverbs.
- Faithful are a friend's wounds; profuse are an enemy's kisses.
The dynamics of friendship and enmity are intertwined with the vice of betrayal and the virtue of faithfulness. The proverb underlines how one would rather go through difficulty attending a friend's wounds than have the merry coming from their enemy's kisses.
- Friends are as thick as thieves.
This proverb is used to describe a very strong friendship. It has its origins in the ancient pirates' codes and thieves' codes that bound their members very strongly.
- Friends are thieves of time.
This proverb essentially means that time seems to move quickly when one is with their friends. You can easily find yourself not doing productive things when with friends.
- Friendship is a flower that blooms in all seasons.
This means that genuine friendships are meant to pass the tests of time. Unlike other temporary relationships that break after the end or beginning of a phase, friendship is supposed to remain alive across all seasons.
- Friendship is like money, easier made than kept.
This proverb highlights the difficulty involved in maintaining a friendship as opposed to creating one. Like money, a genuine friendship is easier made than kept.
- Friendship is love with understanding.
This proverb describes friendship from the perspective of another of humanity's greatest virtue, love. When you are in a romantic relationship, feelings of love often make us biased or "blind" to the other person's bad side. In friendships, we love a person with complete knowledge of both their good and their bad sides. We are not as biased as when in romantic relationships.
- It is better to be in chains with friends than to be in a garden with strangers.
This proverb means that a person is better off facing adversities in his friends' company than in easy times in strangers' company.
- It's good to have some friends both in heaven and hell.
This proverb is premised on the essence of diversity when it comes to friendships. It advises people to have friends of varying beliefs, characters, and personalities. You might learn a thing or two from the one from 'hell' that you would never have known from the friend from 'heaven.'
- Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.
Your enemies wish to harm you. So, if you keep them close to you by acting friendly with them, you can easily watch them in more detail and know what they're planning before they do it. Your friends, on the other hand, wish you well and should be kept close.
- Lend your money. Lose your friend.
Money is quite often the cause of the end of friendships. This proverb is used to caution people against the danger of lending a friend your money. There are high chances that the friend will not refund your money, resulting in a strained friendship.
- Strangers are just friends waiting to happen.
This proverb touches on the friend-making process. Essentially, you could cross paths with any stranger out there, resulting in a friendship.
- The most valuable antiques are dear old friends.
A person might have numerous valuable items or pieces of property. Still, as time moves and he grows older, he will realize that his most prized possessions are his old friendships.
- The rich man knows not who his friend is.
When someone is rich, many people want to be close to them to take advantage of their money. So, when someone has a lot of money, they will most probably not discern who their genuine friend is.
- True friends are like diamonds, precious but rare; false friends are like autumn leaves, found everywhere.
This one is premised on the relative difficulty involved in finding a true friend. The proverb likens true friendship to a rare and precious diamond (extremely difficult to find) and fake friendship to autumn leaves (extremely easy to find).
- Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.
This proverb means that a person is better off facing adversities with a friend by their side than having a trouble-free life filled with loneliness.
There are numerous English proverbs about friendship. These touch on the dynamics of creating friendships, maintaining them, spotting genuine ones, and the pitfalls to watch out for.
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Adrianna Simwa (Lifestyle writer) Adrianna Simwa is a content writer at Legit.ng where she has worked since mid-2022. She has written for many periodicals on a variety of subjects, including news, celebrities, and lifestyle, for more than three years. She has worked for The Hoth, The Standard Group and Triple P Media. Adrianna graduated from Nairobi University with a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) in 2020. In 2023, Simwa finished the AFP course on Digital Investigation Techniques. You can reach her through her email: adriannasimwa@gmail.com
