Original artwork, not a still
The longer we live, and the more we think, the higher value we learn to put on the friendship and tenderness of parents and of friends. Parents we can have but once; and he promises himself too much, who enters life with the expectation of finding many friends.
Behind the line
What it means
Our interpretation.
Age changes what we notice about the people who care for us. Johnson points to the tenderness of parents and friends as something we learn to value more deeply. His warning against expecting endless new friends makes those existing bonds feel worth tending now.
Context reviewed
