A good friend knows that being trusted with information is not the same as owning it.

Being told something does not transfer ownership of it. The story stays the teller’s, and you are holding it for a while. Most leaks are not malicious: a story is interesting, or repeating it shows how close you are to someone, and it slips out in an ordinary conversation. Trust breaks far more often that way than through anything dramatic.

Before repeating something about a friend, ask whether they would recognise your version and whether they chose that audience. When you are unsure, say plainly that it is not yours to tell. Nobody regrets the story they did not pass on.