A friend who says “I’m proud of you” out of nowhere has been watching closer than you knew.

Out of nowhere usually means after a long time of noticing. For somebody to say that unprompted, they have been tracking something across weeks, the thing you were nervous about, the work you kept quiet, the way you handled a bad month. Pride is not a reaction to an announcement. It accumulates, and one day it comes out.

Take it seriously rather than deflecting with a joke. Say thanks and ask what they meant, because the specifics will tell you something about yourself you cannot see. Then look around for who you could say it to, and say it before there is an occasion.