Original artwork, not a still
Essays: First Series (1841), "Friendship"
The only way to have a friend is to be one.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
The maxim makes receiving friendship depend on practising it. It turns attention from finding the right person toward the conduct of the person who wants a friend. Having and being are made inseparable, so the relationship is described as something to participate in rather than simply acquire.
Context reviewed
