The greatest effort of friendship is not to show a friend our defects, but to help him see his own. — La Rochefoucauld Never give out your heart until you have thoroughly ascertained the character of the person to whom you give it. — Balzac The human heart is a vast and desolate expanse. When facing one's conscience, examining one's ambitions and daily actions, one is often filled with melancholy. — Victor Hugo, Les Misérables Be a kind person, striving for the happiness of the masses. — Maxim Gorky The law of conscience often differs from the law of the classics. — Tagore, The Sacrifice When explaining an issue, never distort or force interpretations; even more so, do not knowingly violate principles just because you are clever, thereby placing a guilt upon your soul. — Shakespeare, Henry V Honesty, like all our sentiments, should be divided into negative and positive classes. Negative honesty is honest when one has no opportunity to get rich. Positive honesty is remaining unmoved by temptation every day. — Balzac, Uncle Pons A handshake among ten thousand people makes my sleeves fragrant for three years. — Gong Zizhen Friendship is heaven; without it, life is like hell. Friendship is life; without it, it means death. — William Morris If you act without sincerity, or hesitate to start, even with great talent, you will achieve little. — Charles Dickens, Bleak House Since we are all mortals, we had better keep friendship at a moderate level, not intruding too deeply into each other's spiritual life. — Euripides Friendship can never become a transaction; on the contrary, it requires the most absolute disinterestedness. — Miroslav A friendship that grows like an oak, inch by inch, is more reliable than one that springs up like a gourd vine. — Charlotte Brontë The widest thing in the world is the ocean; wider than the ocean is the sky; wider than the sky is the human breast. — Victor Hugo True friendship can only be based on the combination of similar temperaments. — Beethoven Do not take medals out of your own pocket to lend to your friend; it is an insult to him. — Tagore Whoever has encountered a friendly heart in the world and experienced the realm of absolute loyalty has tasted the joy of heaven and earth. — Romain Rolland One should help a friend when they are in difficulty, not just offer idle talk after matters have become hopeless. — Aesop Friendship is often formed by a common interest that is easier to achieve by two people than by one; this relationship is pure only when it is mutually satisfying. — Strindberg If a person abandons a loyal friend, he is abandoning his most precious life. — Sophocles Friendship is reliable in all other matters, but cannot be trusted in love; therefore, lovers should use their own tongues to convey feelings. Do not ask others to do it on your behalf, for beauty is a witch, and under her magic, loyalty dissolves in passion. — Shakespeare The benevolent person is invincible in the world. — Mencius The more goodness there is in life, the more interest there is in life itself. They are inseparable and complement each other. — Tolstoy, The Death of Ivan Ilyich Everything in a person should be beautiful: appearance, clothes, soul, and thought. — Chekhov Every person has blemishes on their conscience, but most are indifferent to these decorations on their souls, as if wearing a stiffly starched shirt. — Gorky Whoever wants help in adversity should treat others with kindness in ordinary times. — Saadi Some people believe honesty is always the best policy. This is actually a superstition; sometimes pretending to be honest is several times better than being truly honest. — Mark Twain, Equator Travels A friendship of self-restraint is more lasting than a bought friendship. — Reagan Sincere care makes the joy in one's heart like morning birds greeting the spring sun. — Gorky Friendship needs neither slaves nor rulers; friendship loves equality. — Goncharov Love can turn the world. — Dickens Friendship, the mysterious binder of souls! The beautifier of life, the consolidator of society! — Robert Burgh Friendship is two hearts treating each other with sincerity, not one heart beating against another. — Lu Xun In the past of life, friendship is like a bright lamp, illuminating the soul and giving my existence a bit of luster. — Ba Jin Sincere mutual help and intimacy are the highest state of friendship. — Valmoral Love yourself last, cherish those who hate you, and honesty will bring you more benefits than corruption. — Shakespeare, Henry VIII Choose friends with caution, and change them with even greater caution. — Franklin A tiny candle shines so far! A good deed is like this candle, emitting a great radiance in this sinful world. — Shakespeare, The Merchant of Venice Wine is a colorless liquid flame that quickly and accurately burns out everything human in the human soul. — Gorky, The Chimney Sweeper If everything is good, then everything is beautiful. — Research on Tolstoy's Works To show indifference to others' happiness is an insult to them. — Marguerite Yourcenar Compassion is the highest virtue in all moral qualities. — Francis Bacon Among all moral qualities, the nature of kindness is most needed in the world. — Russell True friendship requires maintaining a certain distance. Only with distance is there respect; only with respect does friendship last forever. — You Jin For me, the meaning of life lies in putting oneself in others' shoes, worrying about their worries, and rejoicing in their joys. — Einstein Friendship, like the fragrance of flowers, is better when faint. The fainter the fragrance, the more it attracts attachment and the more lasting it is. — Xi Murong A cowardly friend, after betraying, becomes the most vicious enemy. — E. Spencer Birds need nests, spiders need webs, and people need friendship. — Blake It is unwise to spread slander widely unless it brings great benefit; slander rarely withstands the wear of silence. — Mark Twain's Autobiography Conscience, when condemning, is quite frightening, whether for adults or children. — Dickens, Great Expectations Eating is beneficial only when hungry; likewise, dealing with people is beneficial only when one has love. — Leo Tolstoy When a person is truly real, they should keep equal distance between brazenness and affectation. Neither boastful nor coy. — Hugo, Les Misérables Love and goodness are happiness and also truth, the only possible happiness and truth in the world. — Romain Rolland, Tolstoy Biography A kind heart is the sun. — Hugo, The Man Who Laughs Goodness is the sunlight of the spiritual world. — Hugo Be a person who delivers charcoal in cold weather and comfort in pain. — Ba Jin People with kind and loyal hearts, filled with love, constantly bring happiness to the human world. — Mark Twain, The Gilded Age