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A more appropriate adjective for measuring the degree of a friendship should be “good” – how good, rather than “close” – how close. A good friend is not necessarily close; a close friend is not necessarily good.

— John Newton

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Friendship

More quotes by John Newton

There is many a thing which the world calls disappointment; but there is no such thing in the dictionary of faith. What to others are disappointments are to believers intimations of the will of God.

Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895)

A real friendship should not fade as time passes, and should not weaken because of space separation.

Whether men are pleased or not, we will, we must, worship the Lamb that was slain.

Amazing grace! (how sweet the sound)
That sav'd a wretch like me!
I once was lost, but now am found,
Was blind, but now I see.

Olney Hymns (1779)

Then let us earnest be,
And never faint in prayer;
He loves our importunity,
And makes our cause His care.

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Health is the greatest gift, contentment is the greatest wealth, a trusted friend is the best relative, Nibbana is the greatest bliss.

Gautama Buddha

Not for the body, but for the heart; companion and company are needed.

Sanu Sharma

Flowers are lovely; love is flower-like;
Friendship is a sheltering tree;
Oh the joys that came down shower-like,
Of friendship, love, and liberty,
Ere I was old!

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.

Anaïs Nin Diary entries (1914)

Attribution

Quote text and notes from Wikiquote: John Newton (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0. Source quality and labels are our own summary of what Wikiquote records.