“Popular folk expressions” (as Dahl put it), or sayings, quite often contain the quintessence of people's opinions about a particular phenomenon. These small folkloric forms, like proverbs, have been living for centuries, and from them one can judge how imaginative thinking can be. Friendship proverbs are no exception. Sometimes they reflect common gospel maxims. For example, the phrase that if one dies for another, then this is the greatest friendship, is a rehash of the famous saying of Christ.
On the strength of human relationships
These sayings are very numerous and affect various aspects of the mutual attraction of people. Many sayings about friendship are devoted to describing the conditions of the truth of this phenomenon. For example, some sayings assure us that poverty can be a good criterion for whether you are real friends or not. A man who finds himself without anything can understand whether he has friends, or they turn away from him: "Without a trouble, you can’t find a friend." When someone is “in power”, then he cannot fight off his friends, and when misfortune sets in, they run “away from the yard”. Friendship proverbs also warn against sudden acquaintances. It is not in vain that folk wisdom believes that one who is too much and excessively imposed can observe only his own interest: "Be a friend, but not all of a sudden." New friends can be as unreliable as ice in the spring, people say. Therefore, a person whom you have known for a long time should rely a lot more: "Hold on to the new house, and the old friend."
About the value of friendship
The spark of contact between people can be so bright that it can overshadow any adversity. Not without reason sayings about friendship say that the main thing is communication with a person, and there everything will follow - both leisure and joy. With those with whom it’s interesting, even “drinking water is sweet” - it is made in the mouth like honey. It’s good to go with a loved one even on a very distant road. The proverb says that he is better than a hundred relatives. If problems come, then people alone cry, and next to friends you can smile. And the relations of loved ones can be so strong that they cannot be overcome by anything - "you can’t even chop it with an ax."
Friendship Sayings
These turns of speech also touch on the subject of what real friends are. Indeed, it often happens that there are plenty of friends, and there is not a single person close to you. There can be many reasons for this. Bad character and a sharp temper lead to the fact that no one wants to be friends with such. But with a gentle person differently - the whole world is at his service. You should also not be friends with liars, they will tell you all sorts of obscenities. Bad as friends and those who always assent - "packers". It’s better to be friends with arguing lovers. In any case, it is easy to make friends, but keeping them is quite difficult. This is stated in folklore.
Sayings of goodness and friendship
Of course, folk wisdom could not ignore the eternal question of good and evil. Enmity between people does not do good. The greatest evil that can stand between friends is envy. By its nature, it is the same quality as the "predation" of a wolf. After all, such a person "dries" if the other is happy. Envy is the greatest hindrance of love. But friendship leads to good and peace. And in this all the sayings are one.