---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Happy is love or friendship when…"
description: "\"Happy is love or friendship when returned-- The lovers whose pure flames have equal burned.\" — Bion of Smyrna"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/bion-of-smyrna-63707_burned_happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returne_230891.jpg"
---

#  Happy is love or friendship when returned-- The lovers…

![“Happy is love or friendship when returned-- The lovers whose pure flames have equal burned.” quote by Bion of Smyrna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/bion-of-smyrna-63707_burned_happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returne_230891.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/bion-of-smyrna-63707_burned_happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returne_230891.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/bion-of-smyrna-63707_burned_happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returne_230891.jpg)

> “Happy is love or friendship when returned-- The lovers whose pure flames have equal burned.”

[Bion of Smyrna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bion-of-smyrna/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Reciprocal love and friendship bring deep happiness, as equal passion fuels mutual fulfillment.

**In simple terms:** Mutual love brings joy.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate equal, supportive relationships.

Themes

love friendship reciprocity joy

Mood

warm hopeful

Type

inspirational philosophical

When to use this quote

- romantic partnership
- close friendships
- support groups

Key Concepts

Greek lyric emotional reciprocity

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you ensure balance in relationships?
- What actions nurture mutual respect?

A Different Perspective

Reciprocity can be fragile; imbalance may cause pain.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Fire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fire/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Happy love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happy-love/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Love or friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love-or-friendship/) [Lovers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lovers/)

## Related quotes

> [I don't want to live in a world where everything that I say, everything I do, everyone I talk to, every expression of creativity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-snowden/i-don-t-want-to-live-in-a-world-where-everything-that-i-say/)

[Edward Snowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-snowden/)

> [Tell me, where in life is there a value that would make us consider suicide uncalled for on principle! Love? Or friendship? I guarantee…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milan-kundera/tell-me-where-in-life-is-there-a-value-that-would-make-us-consider/)

[Milan Kundera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milan-kundera/)

> [I feel a horror for exaggerated love or friendship. It's just too well demonstrated to me that when the moment comes that one asks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-thompson/i-feel-a-horror-for-exaggerated-love-or-friendship-it-s-just-too-well/)

[Brian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-thompson/)

> [“We can let go of the person or love or friendship without letting go of the lesson.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mandy-hale/we-can-let-go-of-the-person-or-love-or-friendship-without-letting-go/)

[Mandy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mandy-hale/)

> [ “\[A\]s it is impossible that any man endowed with rational faculties, and being in a state of freedom, should willingly agree, without some motive… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-fielding/a-s-it-is-impossible-that-any-man-endowed-with-rational-faculties-and/)

[Henry Fielding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-fielding/)

> [You cant always get what you want.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bilal/you-cant-always-get-what-you-want/)

[Bilal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bilal/)

> [You're the one who is weak. You will never know love or friendship. And I feel sorry for you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-the-one-who-is-weak-you-will-never-know-love-or-friendship-and/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“Do not imagine that you will save yourself, however completely you surrender to us. No one who has once gone astray is ever spared.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/do-not-imagine-that-you-will-save-yourself-however-completely-you/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Aristotle uses a mother's love for her child as the prime example of love or friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-adler/aristotle-uses-a-mother-s-love-for-her-child-as-the-prime-example-of/)

[Mortimer Adler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-adler/)

> [God has written in the law of nature that when two people are joined in love or friendship, one must always give his heart…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sand/god-has-written-in-the-law-of-nature-that-when-two-people-are-joined/)

[George Sand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sand/)

> [To try to regulate the internal affairs of a family, the relations of love or friendship, or many other things of the same sort,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-fitzjames-stephen/to-try-to-regulate-the-internal-affairs-of-a-family-the-relations-of/)

[James Fitzjames Stephen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-fitzjames-stephen/)

> [Never again will you be capable of ordinary human feeling. Everything will be dead inside you. Never again will you be capable of love,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-orwell/never-again-will-you-be-capable-of-ordinary-human-feeling-everything/)

[George Orwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-orwell/)

> [Love or friendship, one cannot serve two masters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-or-friendship-one-cannot-serve-two-masters/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [“A student: "I wonder why I did what I did, maybe it was an accident" A Teacher: "Everything is a mere accident. Be it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/santosh-kalwar/a-student-i-wonder-why-i-did-what-i-did-maybe-it-was-an-accident-a/)

[Santosh Kalwar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/santosh-kalwar/)

> [Love is merely a madness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/love-is-merely-a-madness/)

[William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/)

## More by Bion of Smyrna

> [Beauty is a possession not our own.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/beauty-is-a-possession-not-our-own/)

[Bion of Smyrna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bion-of-smyrna/)

> [Arrogance is the obstruction of wisdom.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/arrogance-is-the-obstruction-of-wisdom/)

[Bion of Smyrna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bion-of-smyrna/)

> [Jest with your equals.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/jest-with-your-equals/)

[Bion of Smyrna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bion-of-smyrna/)

> [The end of a dissolute life is most commonly a desperate death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/the-end-of-a-dissolute-life-is-most-commonly-a-desperate-death/)

[Bion of Smyrna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bion-of-smyrna/)

[Explore all 5 Bion of Smyrna quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bion-of-smyrna/)

## More Burned quotes

> [“my stomach turned and burned with the acid of failure”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heidi-ames/my-stomach-turned-and-burned-with-the-acid-of-failure/)

Heidi Ames

> [These mercenaries, I swear by God, those who are still in Washington, they have sent their troops to be burned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/these-mercenaries-i-swear-by-god-those-who-are-still-in-washington/)

[Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohammed-saeed-al-sahaf/)

> [Men feared witches and burned women.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louis-d-brandeis/men-feared-witches-and-burned-women/)

[Louis D. Brandeis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louis-d-brandeis/)

> [“I knew I didn't have much of a chance of getting away from that swarm of fae piranha, but it was an infinitely larger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-butcher/i-knew-i-didn-t-have-much-of-a-chance-of-getting-away-from-that-swarm/)

[Jim Butcher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-butcher/)

> [Truth is error burned up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-o-brown/truth-is-error-burned-up/)

[Norman O. Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-o-brown/)

> [I know I have I have sliced , burned ,bruised wriped at](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/slowly-fading/i-know-i-have-i-have-sliced-burned-bruised-wriped-at/)

Slowly\_fading

> [years ago we would have been burned for this. Now what I am suggesting is that we've advanced.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-cleese/years-ago-we-would-have-been-burned-for-this-now-what-i-am-suggesting/)

[John Cleese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-cleese/)

> [The life of men and women is so cheap and property is so sacred. There are so many of us for one job it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-schneiderman/the-life-of-men-and-women-is-so-cheap-and-property-is-so-sacred-there/)

[Rose Schneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-schneiderman/)

> [Promoting the use of sustainable and renewable rainforest products can help to stop rainforest devastation. The rainforests are much more valuable alive than cut…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kilham/promoting-the-use-of-sustainable-and-renewable-rainforest-products/)

[Chris Kilham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kilham/)

> [I would be a traitor to these poor burned bodies if I came here to talk good fellowship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rose-schneiderman/i-would-be-a-traitor-to-these-poor-burned-bodies-if-i-came-here-to/)

[Rose Schneiderman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rose-schneiderman/)

> [I checked out all types of tobacco trying to find one that would be easiest to live with, I ended up using pipe tobacco.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-strathairn/i-checked-out-all-types-of-tobacco-trying-to-find-one-that-would-be/)

[David Strathairn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-strathairn/)

> [“Looks delicious," he lied. "A mite crispy along the edges - but then, I like it that way." Incredulous eyes met his own. "You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tracy-anne-warren/looks-delicious-he-lied-a-mite-crispy-along-the-edges-but-then-i-like/)

[Tracy Anne Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tracy-anne-warren/)

> [Most calves used by the dairy industry have their horns BURNED or GOUGED out of their heads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/casey-affleck/most-calves-used-by-the-dairy-industry-have-their-horns-burned-or/)

[Casey Affleck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/casey-affleck/)

> [ \[General Curtis\] LeMay recognized that what he was doing would be thought immoral if his side has lost. But what makes it immoral if… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-mcnamara/general-curtis-lemay-recognized-that-what-he-was-doing-would-be/)

[Robert McNamara](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-mcnamara/)

> [If you are burned, you are naturally anxious to see what your face looks like as soon as they take the bandages off. In…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jose-carreras/if-you-are-burned-you-are-naturally-anxious-to-see-what-your-face/)

[Jose Carreras](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jose-carreras/)

Browse all 1,079 Burned quotes

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Happy is love or friendship when returned-- The lovers whose pure flames have equal burned.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Bion of Smyrna"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returned-the-lovers-whose-pure/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Burned"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returned-the-lovers-whose-pure/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/bion-of-smyrna-63707_burned_happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returne_230891.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/bion-of-smyrna-63707_burned_happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returne_230891.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea7/bion-of-smyrna-63707_burned_happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returne_230891.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Happy is love or friendship when returned-- The lovers whose pure flames have equal burned.” — Bion of Smyrna",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Bion of Smyrna",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bion-of-smyrna/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Happy is love or friendship when...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returned-the-lovers-whose-pure/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bion-of-smyrna/happy-is-love-or-friendship-when-returned-the-lovers-whose-pure/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
