"He saw friendship as one of the true joys of life, and felt that a life well-lived must include truly meaningful, lasting friendships."

"In poverty as well as in other misfortunes, people suppose that friends are their only refuge. And friendship is a help to the young, in saving them from error, just as it is also to the old, with a view to the care they require and their diminished capacity for action stemming from their weakness; it is a help also to those in their prime in performing noble actions, for ‘two going together’ are better able to think and to act."

"The first is a friendship of utility. In this relationship, two parties are not in it for affection. Rather, they’re in it for the benefit each receives from the other."

"Aristotle’s second kind of accidental friendship is based in pleasure. This kind of relationship, he found, was more common among younger people."

"Rather than utility or pleasure, this kind of relationship is based on a mutual appreciation of the virtues the other person holds dear."

"In this kind of friendship, the people themselves and the qualities they represent provide the incentive for the two parties to be in each other’s lives."

"Friendships of virtue take time and trust to build. They depend on mutual growth."

"We’re much more likely to connect at this level with someone when we’ve seen them at their worst and watched them grow — or if we’ve endured mutual hardship with them."

"Life is too short for shallow friendships."

"While he saw the value in accidental friendships based on pleasure and utility, he felt that their impermanence diminished their potential."

"The bonds we forge with those close to us directly shape the quality of our lives."