Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend.

A true friend, someone who stays when things are hard, tells you the truth and wants your good even when it costs them, is close to the best thing a life can hold. Many people have plenty of friendly acquaintances, and fewer have that. Whatever you picture as the highest good, a real friend comes very near it.

Think about who has been that kind of friend to you. Let them know, in plain words, what they have meant. And consider whether there is someone for whom you could be that friend right now, in a way that asks something of you.