5 Quotes On Friendship You Should Consider In 2017

1. “Invest in people who invest in you”

This is the time of year when I sit back and reflect on everything that has happened within the past 365 days—the high and low points, the successes and failures, and everything in between. One aspect of my life that I always spend a little extra time thinking about is friendship, both new and old ones. So many questions run through my mind—are these new relationships something meaningful or just temporary? Have I put enough effort into the relationships with old friends? Are there friends who need to be cut out of my life? Friendships are one of the most important things in your life. These people are there to give you support, and a sense of meaning. In this upcoming year, keep in mind these following four quotes about friendship:

2. “Sometimes your circle decreases in size, but increases in value”

Quality over quantity is something that we all need to keep in mind. In high school, I remember that there was so much pressure to have the biggest group of friends; if you didn’t, you just felt like a nobody. Having been part of both big and small circles of friends, it was the smaller ones that felt more meaningful to me. I’m not saying that you can’t have genuine friendships with multiple people; if you do, you’re doing something right! But if you find your inner circle slowly shrinking, it’s not necessarily a bad thing—you are just finding out who is and is not worth being in your life.

3. “True friends say good things behind your back and bad things to your face”

This is something that I especially want to work on in the upcoming year. It is so easy to talk badly about your friends, even those who you are really close to. Sometimes you just get caught up in bashing them, especially if everyone around you is. And it becomes a problem when you don’t confront them about the things you are saying. We need to sit back and ask ourselves, “If so-and-so is my best friend, why can’t I say these things to their face?” This is where you need to really evaluate your friendship with this person—do you just have a bad habit of bad-mouthing people or is this a sign that your friendship with them isn’t what you really thought it was?

4. “Friendship isn’t about whom you’ve known the longest, it’s about who walked into your life and said “I’m here for you” and proved it”

Those who show their dedication and support to you are the ones worth keeping; they can be your oldest friends, as well as your newest ones. Yes, it is great to have friends whom you have known for many, many years, but if they don’t do anything to prove that they have your best interest in mind, what’s the point? And in turn, you have to reciprocate that same support. I don’t still talk to every single person I was friends with back in my early childhood, but the ones I still interact with are people I will be in touch with forever. And there are people that I have become friends with in the past couple of years who I know will be in my life for a long time. The reason behind this is that we have shown one another that we have each other’s backs.

5. “A strong friendship doesn’t need daily conversation, doesn’t always need togetherness, as long as the relationship lives in the heart, true friends will never part”

This is one of the most spot-on statements about friendship. As you grow older, peoples’ lives change, and friends might grow apart in distance. Yes, this physical distance can put a strain on the friendship, but if your relationship is genuine, nothing changes. You’re able to pick up right where you left off. I always find that those who I feel comfortable sitting in silence with are those who are meant to stick around.