Don't flatter yourself that friendship authorizes you to say disagreeable things to your intimates. The nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become. Except in cases of necessity, which are rare, leave your friend to learn unpleasant things from his enemies; they are ready enough to tell them.
Oliver Wendell Holmes (1809 - 1894), The Autocrat of the Breakfast-Table, 1858
- More quotations on: [Friendship]
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Oh, I love that one, KD! It's a perfect golden rule for friendship.
Honesty but never ever unkindness.
Well, I expect friends to be straightforward rather than pay lip service, so how does that fit in with the above quote?
Post a Comment