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Friendship is a basic ingredient of life. It is no surprise then that there is a wealth of popular sayings about friendship. Some are valuable, some are biased and some are not quite apt for all situations. Some are even humorous with a glimmer of truth.

To make some assessment of popular sayings, it may be easier to select those that answer questions on friendship.

What is friendship? There are 3 popular sayings that answer this question.
1. "Friendship is a single soul dwelling in two bodies."- Aristotle
2. "To like and dislike the same things, that is indeed true friendship."- Sallust
3. "Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Walk beside me and be my friend." Albert Camus
All writers seem to agree that friendship has a sense of a level and open playing field. But each approaches that field in different ways. Camus and Sallust suggest that friendship is like walking together through life, sharing experiences and empathising with each others' experiences and interests. That sounds lovely, but one wonders if it is a little unhealthy for friends to be together all the time. Where is individuality? Aristotle's idea of friendship sounds closer to the intimacy of love rather than friendship.

Are there any rules for friendship? One popular saying answering this question is worth assessing.
"The best rule of friendship is to keep your heart a little softer than your head."- Author Unknown.
Unfortunately, in more modern times, to be "soft in the head" has evolved into a clich implying a weakness rather than a strength of character. The saying also suggests that a state of friendship loses some logic? This saying is fraught with questionable overtones. But it sounds good.

What are friends? 2 popular sayings come to mind in answer to this question.
1. "Friends are relatives you make for yourself."- Eustache Deschamps
2. "A friend is one who walks in when others walk out" Walter Winchell
Deschamps' comment is quite a favorite saying. A number of writers say similar ideas. There's an element of choosing friends where you can't choose family relatives. But then, if friends become like relatives, does that mean all the family differences and petty squabbles come as well? The saying is not clear on that point, even though it may intend to suggest that a friend is minus this. Winchell's comment generates a wry retort: "Without invitation"? There are some moments when people need to be alone to think situations through quietly. Even a friend

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