"To have a great man for a friend seems pleasant to those who have never tried it those who have, fear it."

Friendship

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Insight & Reflection

This reflection on friendship by Horace resonates across generations. It highlights a fundamental truth about human nature: our continuous search for meaning in friendship is what ultimately defines our character and our path forward.

About Horace

Quintus Horatius Flaccus, commonly known in the English-speaking world as Horace, was the leading Roman lyric poet during the time of Augustus. The rhetorician Quintilian regarded his Odes as the only Latin lyrics worth reading: "He can be lofty sometimes, yet he is also full of charm and grace, versatile in his figures, and felicitously daring in his choice of words."

More quotes by Horace  ’
Editorial Note: This quote is curated and fact-checked by the Quotes Archive Editorial Team. Verified Literature Specialist.

More by Horace

"Courage is not the absence of trembling, but the decision to step forward regardless. In this truth lies the bedrock of all virtue."

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"The tapestry of existence shows us that every step forward is a victory over stagnation."

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"Pale death, with impartial step, knocks at the hut of the poor and the towers of kings."

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More about Friendship

"The greatest deception is forgetting that the bonds of friendship are the true treasures of existence."

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"My second husband believed I had such a fickle attitude to friendship that each Friday he would update the list of my 'Top Ten' friends in the manner of a Top Of The Pops chart countdown."

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"True wisdom begins when you realize the bonds of friendship are the true treasures of existence."

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