---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Friendship is unnecessary, like…"
description: "\"Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. --C. S...."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/c-s-lewis-3-26944_art_friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosoph_1559229.jpg"
---

#  Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It…

![“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. --C. S. Lewis” quote by C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/c-s-lewis-3-26944_art_friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosoph_1559229.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/c-s-lewis-3-26944_art_friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosoph_1559229.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/c-s-lewis-3-26944_art_friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosoph_1559229.jpg)

> “Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. --C. S. Lewis”

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

## About This Quote

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

Friendship, like art and philosophy, adds meaning to life even though it isn’t essential for survival.

**In simple terms:** Friendship gives life meaning.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate deep friendships.

Themes

friendship meaning value

Mood

thoughtful inspirational

Type

philosophical literary

When to use this quote

- social circles
- teamwork
- personal fulfillment

Key Concepts

existentialism humanism

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do we seek friendships beyond survival?
- What makes a friendship valuable?

A Different Perspective

Friendship can be costly or demanding.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Art](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Philosophy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy/)

## Related quotes

> [Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art… It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things which give value to survival.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cs-lewis/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-it-has-no-survival-4/)

[CS Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cs-lewis/)

> [FRIENDSHIP is unnecessary like Philosophy, like art, it has NO SURVIVAL VALUE rather than one of those things THAT GIVE VALUE TO SURVIVAL.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyssa/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-it-has-no-survival-3/)

[ALYSSA](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyssa/)

> [Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather is one of those things that give value to surviva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-it-has-no-survival/)

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

> [Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cs-lewis/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-like-the-universe/)

[CS Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cs-lewis/)

> [“friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art/)

[c.s. lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art, like the universe itself (for God did not need to create). It has no survival value; rather…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-2/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-like-the-universe-2/)

[C.S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-2/)

> [I have no duty to be anyone's Friend and no man in the world has a duty to be mine. No claims, no shadow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-have-no-duty-to-be-anyone-s-friend-and-no-man-in-the-world-has-a/)

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

> [Whether people think I'm old fashioned, I don't care. I've always been very comfortable in my own skin. I've never been a brandist, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-dyche/whether-people-think-i-m-old-fashioned-i-don-t-care-i-ve-always-been/)

[Sean Dyche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-dyche/)

> [I hold all knowledge that is concerned with things that actually exist - all that is commonly called Science - to be of very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/i-hold-all-knowledge-that-is-concerned-with-things-that-actually/)

[Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/)

> [I don't know whether I can say that having a career in philosophy has turned out as I imagined, since in many ways I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilary-kornblith/i-don-t-know-whether-i-can-say-that-having-a-career-in-philosophy-has/)

[Hilary Kornblith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilary-kornblith/)

> [Jiu-Jitsu is like a philosophy. It helps me learn how to face life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helio-gracie/jiu-jitsu-is-like-a-philosophy-it-helps-me-learn-how-to-face-life/)

[Helio Gracie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helio-gracie/)

> [“Cram them full of noncombustible data, chock them so full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they'll feel they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/cram-them-full-of-noncombustible-data-chock-them-so-full-of-facts/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I'd like to do policy and I'd like to do philosophy, I'd like to be able to get into the depth, into the meat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-krohn/i-d-like-to-do-policy-and-i-d-like-to-do-philosophy-i-d-like-to-be/)

[Jonathan Krohn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-krohn/)

> [Cram them full of non-combustible data, chock them so damned full of 'facts' they feel stuffed, but absolutely 'brilliant' with information. Then they’ll feel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/cram-them-full-of-non-combustible-data-chock-them-so-damned-full-of/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [I like the philosophy of the sandwich, as it were. It typifies my attitude to life, really. It's all there, it's fun, it looks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/molly-parkin/i-like-the-philosophy-of-the-sandwich-as-it-were-it-typifies-my/)

Molly Parkin

## More by C S Lewis

> [You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream. --C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/you-are-never-too-old-to-set-another-goal-or-to-dream-a-new-dream-c-s/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything, and your heart will certainly be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/to-love-at-all-is-to-be-vulnerable-love-anything-and-your-heart-will-2/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [“I expect most witches are like that. They are not interested in things or people unless they can use them; they are terribly practical".”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/i-expect-most-witches-are-like-that-they-are-not-interested-in-things/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [“Supposing there was no intelligence behind the universe, no creative mind. In that case, nobody designed my brain for the purpose of thinking. It…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/supposing-there-was-no-intelligence-behind-the-universe-no-creative/)

[c s lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [What you see and hear depends a great deal on where you are standing; it also depends on what sort of person you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/what-you-see-and-hear-depends-a-great-deal-on-where-you-are-standing/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [I sometimes wander whether all pleasures are not substitutes for joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/i-sometimes-wander-whether-all-pleasures-are-not-substitutes-for-joy/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [Aim at heaven and you will get earth thrown in. Aim at earth and you get neither. C. S. Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/aim-at-heaven-and-you-will-get-earth-thrown-in-aim-at-earth-and-you/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [“If you're approaching Him not as the goal but as a road, not as the end but as a means, you're not really approaching…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/if-you-re-approaching-him-not-as-the-goal-but-as-a-road-not-as-the/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [“Don't you think a dream would feel shy if it were seen walking about in the waking world?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/don-t-you-think-a-dream-would-feel-shy-if-it-were-seen-walking-about/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [“Now you will have noticed that nothing throws him into a passion so easily as to find a tract of time which he reckoned…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/now-you-will-have-noticed-that-nothing-throws-him-into-a-passion-so/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [“He sees because He loves, and therefore loves although He sees.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/he-sees-because-he-loves-and-therefore-loves-although-he-sees/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [ “I felt sure that \[Oyarsa\] was what we call "good," but I wasn't sure whether I liked "goodness" so much as I had supposed.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/i-felt-sure-that-oyarsa-was-what-we-call-good-but-i-wasn-t-sure/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [If you injure someone you dislike, you will find yourself disliking him more. If you do him a good turn, you will find yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/if-you-injure-someone-you-dislike-you-will-find-yourself-disliking/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [“The man who agrees with us that some question, little regarded by others, is of great importance can be our Friend. He need not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/the-man-who-agrees-with-us-that-some-question-little-regarded-by/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

> [Love is the great conqueror of lust. Being in love is far better than either common sensuality or cold self-centeredness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/love-is-the-great-conqueror-of-lust-being-in-love-is-far-better-than/)

[C S Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

[Explore all 21 C S Lewis quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/)

## More Art quotes

> [True works of art contain their own theory and give us the measurement according to which we should judge them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/true-works-of-art-contain-their-own-theory-and-give-us-the/)

[Johann Wolfgang von Goethe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johann-wolfgang-von-goethe/)

> [Before Noah, men having only water to drink, could not find the truth. Accordingly...they became abominably wicked, and they were justly exterminated by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/before-noah-men-having-only-water-to-drink-could-not-find-the-truth/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [“Hear the sum of the whole matter in the compass of one brief word — every art possessed by man comes from Prometheus.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aeschylus/hear-the-sum-of-the-whole-matter-in-the-compass-of-one-brief-word/)

[Aeschylus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aeschylus/)

> [I think most artists feel like they're outside society - no matter how many accolades they receive, or how much money is in your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-rose/i-think-most-artists-feel-like-they-re-outside-society-no-matter-how/)

[Aaron Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-rose/)

> [The capacity to be puzzled is the premise of all creation, be it in art or in science.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erich-fromm/the-capacity-to-be-puzzled-is-the-premise-of-all-creation-be-it-in/)

[Erich Fromm](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erich-fromm/)

> [That's the great secret of creativity. You treat ideas like cats: you make them follow you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/that-s-the-great-secret-of-creativity-you-treat-ideas-like-cats-you/)

[Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/)

> [“So, really," continued Jacob as if this were perfectly normal to expound on art in these circumstances, "when you think about it, the artists…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justina-chen-headley/so-really-continued-jacob-as-if-this-were-perfectly-normal-to-expound/)

[Justina Chen Headley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justina-chen-headley/)

> [“There are two options in art; either to adopt philosophical life by dissecting art, or to write your own philosophical life and claim it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/taf-teh/there-are-two-options-in-art-either-to-adopt-philosophical-life-by/)

Taf Teh

> [The house has to serve comfort. The work of art is revolutionary; the house is conservative.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-loos/the-house-has-to-serve-comfort-the-work-of-art-is-revolutionary-the/)

[Adolf Loos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-loos/)

> [During human progress, every science is evolved out of its corresponding art.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-spencer/during-human-progress-every-science-is-evolved-out-of-its/)

[Herbert Spencer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-spencer/)

> [In literature and art memory is a synonym for invention. It is the life-blood of imagination, which faints and dies when the veins are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-aris-willmott/in-literature-and-art-memory-is-a-synonym-for-invention-it-is-the/)

[Robert Aris Willmott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-aris-willmott/)

> [I think a business guy is different from an artist. They walk different paths. Artists create the best outputs when they're having fun. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/g-dragon/i-think-a-business-guy-is-different-from-an-artist-they-walk/)

[G-Dragon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/g-dragon/)

> [“The only thing--I tell you this straight from the heart--that disgusts me in Salzburg is that one can't have any proper social intercourse with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/the-only-thing-i-tell-you-this-straight-from-the-heart-that-disgusts/)

[Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-amadeus-mozart/)

> [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/)

[Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/)

> [Art isn't done to decorate apartments, but to wage war against the enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pablo-picasso/art-isn-t-done-to-decorate-apartments-but-to-wage-war-against-the/)

[Pablo Picasso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pablo-picasso/)

[Browse all 48,643 Art quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/art/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those things that give value to survival. --C. S. Lewis",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "C S Lewis"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-it-has-no-survival-2/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Art"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-it-has-no-survival-2/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/c-s-lewis-3-26944_art_friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosoph_1559229.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/c-s-lewis-3-26944_art_friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosoph_1559229.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/bff/c-s-lewis-3-26944_art_friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosoph_1559229.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like art... It has no survival value; rather it is one of those…” — C S Lewis",
                "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": "C S Lewis",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-s-lewis-3/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Friendship is unnecessary, like philosophy, like...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-it-has-no-survival-2/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-s-lewis-3/friendship-is-unnecessary-like-philosophy-like-art-it-has-no-survival-2/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
