True friendship is an intimate relationship in which you are willing to RENDER YOURSELF VULNERABLE to the interests, values, and deepest loves of your friend.
—David, United States, millennial
Friendship is a SHARED STEWARDSHIP of some good that draws you together in love of it and each other.
—Leah, United States, millennial
After the fortieth conversation over drinks, friendship is the realization that YOUR VOICE IS CALMER and your eyes steadier than when you are alone.
—Samuel, United States, millennial
A relationship governed by MUTUAL TRUST.
—Luke, United States, boomer
Donde dos almas se encuentran en una telaraña de emociones y es guiado por un fuerte deseo de servir uno al otro sin pedir absolutamente nada.
Where two souls find in a web of emotions a STRONG DESIRE TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER without asking anything in return.
—Cesar, Paraguay, Gen X
Friendship is SACRIFICING MY OWN COMFORT for the needs of my friends. Friendship is loving someone as your own soul.
—Tymofii (male), Ukraine, millennial
Friendship is a commitment to the destiny of the other, to the TRUE FLOURISHING OF THE OTHER.
—Brandon, India, millennial
A relationship of SHARED BELONGING that transcends transactions.
—Tim, United States, Gen X
Friendship is SHARED HISTORY.
—Patton, United States, Gen X
Friendship is HELPING PEOPLE when they’re crying.
—Julie, France, Gen Z
Friendship is the connection between two humans who SEE, GIVE DIGNITY TO, AND RECEIVE the gift of another’s presence and company for any duration of time.
—Cari, United States, Gen X
Friendship is understanding that love comes with FLEXIBILITY, PATIENCE, AND NO TIMELINES.
—Liudmila, Venezuela, millennial
When, by UNSELFISH AFFECTION FOR AND TRUST IN THE OTHER, you accidentally learn something true about yourself: this is friendship.
—Joseph, United States, millennial
Friendship is bearing each other’s burdens and sharing in the ups and downs of life, in a relationship bound by MUTUAL LOVE AND TRUST.
—Hawraa, Palestine, Gen Z
Friendship is INTERTWINING PATHS, deep knowing, and profound joy: the birthplace of vision and a mirror of one’s truest self. A ballast. A spark.
—Brenna, United States, millennial
A relationship CHOSEN OVER AND OVER AGAIN without coercion; nurtured through mutual encouragement, without pretense; sealed by unforced smiles, fist bumps, and laughter; and marked by conversations unsatisfied with surface-level chatter.
—John, United States, Gen X
In Korean, “friend” means someone who stays close for a long time. Friendship is about accepting and loving each other as they are, closer and closer over a long period of time, SEEKING THE OTHER’S BENEFIT and sometimes willing to give what is mine for it.
—Taewook, South Korea, Gen X
Friendship, amistad, is accompaniment through life. Walking together in person or at great distances, through laughter, tears, suffering, hope, AND ALL THE SMALL THINGS IN BETWEEN. It is that mundane love flowing as everyday acceptance over the years, helping us face fears and foes, fulfilling needs and wants. Friendship is that joyful bond that can turn an abyss into a well.
—Pancho, Mexico, Gen X
I am your friend, and there is NOTHING YOU WILL EVER DO to make me stop being your friend.
—Mack, United States, boomer
If love were a wheel, friendship would be THE HUB holding every spoke in place, whether standing still, moving at high speeds, or traversing rough terrain.
—Erin, United States, millennial
Friendship is mutual affection deepened by INTENTIONAL VULNERABILITY OVER TIME, completing the soul’s longing for joy.
—Drew, United States, millennial
What is friendship? It is being there for each other. NO MATTER WHAT.
—Laura, The Netherlands, millennial
Someone you look forward to spending time with. Someone you trust with confidential matters. Someone with whom time is not an issue, you just GO ON FROM WHERE YOU LEFT OFF the next time you see each other.
—Henny, Canada, silent generation
Friendship is helping when the other is hurting, supporting when the other is seeking, hoping when the other is despairing. Friendship is LOVE IN ACTION, tutored by mutual affection and accountability and ordered to the good that friends share in common.
—Michael, United States, millennial
Friendship is ENDURING affection, admiration, and care between two people; it does not depend on popularity, status, or membership in a group.
—Seth, United States, Gen X
Friendship is SISTERHOOD AND BROTHERHOOD from someone to whom you are not biologically connected.
—Hermione, China, millennial
Friendship is a POSITIVE CHEMICAL REACTION and interaction between people. It can greatly enrich our lives and expand our personal limitations.
—Phoebe, China, boomer
[(AFFECTION + LOYALTY) x TIME x (CONFLICT / TRUST)] x GRACE = FRIENDSHIP
—Kurt, Canada, Gen X
