--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: One discovers a friend by chance, and…" description: "\"One discovers a friend by chance, and cannot but feel regret that 20 or 30 years of life may have been spent without the least knowledge of him.\" — Cha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/charles-dudley-warner-8025_chance_one-discovers-a-friend-by-chance-and-can_899997.jpg" --- # One discovers a friend by chance, and cannot but feel… ![“One discovers a friend by chance, and cannot but feel regret that 20 or 30 years of life may have been spent without the least knowledge of him.” quote by Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/charles-dudley-warner-8025_chance_one-discovers-a-friend-by-chance-and-can_899997.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/charles-dudley-warner-8025_chance_one-discovers-a-friend-by-chance-and-can_899997.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2c9/charles-dudley-warner-8025_chance_one-discovers-a-friend-by-chance-and-can_899997.jpg) > “One discovers a friend by chance, and cannot but feel regret that 20 or 30 years of life may have been spent without the least knowledge of him.” [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Unexpected friendships reveal missed connections and lifelong regret. **In simple terms:** Friendships often happen by chance. Key Takeaway Seek new connections. Themes friendship regret chance Mood nostalgic reflective Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - career networking - community events - travel experiences Key Concepts Social psychology network theory Questions to Reflect On - How can you intentionally meet new people? - What regrets might you have about past friendships? A Different Perspective Focusing only on existing circles limits growth. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Regret](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/regret/) [Years of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-of-life/) ## Related quotes > [Oh what a friend chance can be — when it chooses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/winslow-homer/oh-what-a-friend-chance-can-be-when-it-chooses/) [Winslow Homer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/winslow-homer/) > [Give one thousand chance to your enemy to become your friend but do not give one chance to your friend to become your enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/give-one-thousand-chance-to-your-enemy-to-become-your-friend-but-do/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [To love someone is to give a friend a chance to get in your heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-love-someone-is-to-give-a-friend-a-chance-to-get-in-your-heart/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“No one should say whether others should breed or not, that would go against how I feel a woman has the right to choose.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-glass/no-one-should-say-whether-others-should-breed-or-not-that-would-go/) [Alice Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-glass/) > [“Alex moved away, clearly crestfallen. Some other day, maybe as soon as tomorrow, she would feel regret, but not tonight. Right now, she couldn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wilette-youkey/alex-moved-away-clearly-crestfallen-some-other-day-maybe-as-soon-as/) Wilette Youkey > [Rather than regret for what I have written, I feel regret for what I shall never be able to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antonio-tabucchi/rather-than-regret-for-what-i-have-written-i-feel-regret-for-what-i/) [Antonio Tabucchi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antonio-tabucchi/) > [“Embrace it. Live it. Life's too short. Even looking at it from my end, when I've had more chances than many, I wish--actually even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ella-j-fraser/embrace-it-live-it-life-s-too-short-even-looking-at-it-from-my-end/) [Ella J. Fraser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ella-j-fraser/) > [“Love can destroy or create all things, depending on whose hands wield the emotion, and whose heart gets in the way. 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Whatever you have done in your life has led you to this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-ryan/you-have-nothing-to-feel-regret-about-or-to-feel-embarrassed-about/) Liz Ryan > [“Sympathy, love for one's brothers, for those who love us, love for those who hate us, love for our enemies, yes, the love that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/sympathy-love-for-one-s-brothers-for-those-who-love-us-love-for-those/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [You made me feel so regret in dating you but all the same am happy with the lips am kissing now, sorry but its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/juniorjk/you-made-me-feel-so-regret-in-dating-you-but-all-the-same-am-happy/) Juniorjk > [I dont feel any regret to loved you cuz before leaving you taught me not to trust anybody in future ,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/honey-babe/i-dont-feel-any-regret-to-loved-you-cuz-before-leaving-you-taught-me/) [Honey Babe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/honey-babe/) > [What do you really want to know? Am I sorry for what I did? There's not a day goes by I don't feel regret.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/what-do-you-really-want-to-know-am-i-sorry-for-what-i-did-there-s-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Everyday I look back at my history and feel regret.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-hus/everyday-i-look-back-at-my-history-and-feel-regret/) [J Hus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-hus/) ## More by Charles Dudley Warner > [The wise man does not permit himself to set up even in his own mind any comparisons of his friends. His friendship is capable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-wise-man-does-not-permit-himself-to-set-up-even-in-his-own-mind/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [There are those who say that trees shade the garden too much, and interfere with the growth of the vegetables. There may be something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/there-are-those-who-say-that-trees-shade-the-garden-too-much-and/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [The onion and its satin wrappings is among the most beautiful of vegetables and is the only one that represents the essence of things.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-onion-and-its-satin-wrappings-is-among-the-most-beautiful-of/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [What small potatoes we all are, compared with what we might be!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/what-small-potatoes-we-all-are-compared-with-what-we-might-be/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [Nothing is worth reading that does not require an alert mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/nothing-is-worth-reading-that-does-not-require-an-alert-mind/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [Let us celebrate the soil. 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They are, for the time being, separate, from the world, and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/happy-is-said-to-be-the-family-which-can-eat-onions-together-they-are/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [The excellence of a gift lies in its appropriateness rather than in its value](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-excellence-of-a-gift-lies-in-its-appropriateness-rather-than-in/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [The love of dirt is among the earliest of passions, as it is the latest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/the-love-of-dirt-is-among-the-earliest-of-passions-as-it-is-the-latest/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) > [I do not know the names of all the weeds and plants, I have to do as Adam did in his garden... name things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dudley-warner/i-do-not-know-the-names-of-all-the-weeds-and-plants-i-have-to-do-as/) [Charles Dudley Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) [Explore all 85 Charles Dudley Warner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dudley-warner/) ## More Chance quotes > [Before I debuted, it was my goal to make my debut, and afterwards, I aimed at winning champion titles on television music shows, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hyuna/before-i-debuted-it-was-my-goal-to-make-my-debut-and-afterwards-i/) [Hyuna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hyuna/) > [I understand it's promotion, but no one ever gave me a chance. 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With movies, you roll the dice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-campbell/the-happy-medium-is-television-and-if-you-find-a-good-suitor-you-can/) [Bruce Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-campbell/) > [I get afraid of the dark if I'm in a great deal of dark, and I have to move around inside of that fear...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-ferris/i-get-afraid-of-the-dark-if-i-m-in-a-great-deal-of-dark-and-i-have-to/) [Emil Ferris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-ferris/) > [I have heard that if you pull a bent breath through the second hole of a harmonica tuned to the key of Georgia while…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buddy-wakefield/i-have-heard-that-if-you-pull-a-bent-breath-through-the-second-hole/) [Buddy Wakefield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buddy-wakefield/) > [There are times when we can feel destiny close around us like a fist around a doorknob. Sure, we can resist. But a knob…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-robbins/there-are-times-when-we-can-feel-destiny-close-around-us-like-a-fist/) [Tom Robbins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-robbins/) > [Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paolo-bacigalupi/pain-held-no-terror-for-him-pain-was-if-not-friend-then-family/) [Paolo Bacigalupi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paolo-bacigalupi/) > [Love changes people, for better or for worse. You could look at it as a chance for you to change. The best kind of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-changes-people-for-better-or-for-worse-you-could-look-at-it-as-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“It's not who, it's when”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-taubas/it-s-not-who-it-s-when/) Alejandro Taubas > [Childhood is Last Chance Gulch for happiness. After that, you know too much.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-stoppard/childhood-is-last-chance-gulch-for-happiness-after-that-you-know-too/) [Tom Stoppard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-stoppard/) > [I thought my first few jobs would just be off, off, off, off, off broadway. And by chance and how the world works, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tommy-dorfman/i-thought-my-first-few-jobs-would-just-be-off-off-off-off-off/) [Tommy Dorfman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tommy-dorfman/) > [If you’re worrying about the past, you’ve got a good chance of screwing up the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-a-tullman/if-you-re-worrying-about-the-past-you-ve-got-a-good-chance-of/) [Howard A. 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