--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A true bond of friendship is usually only…" description: "\"A true bond of friendship is usually only possible between people of roughly equal status. This equality is demonstrated in many indirect ways, but it ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/desmond-morris-17347_alertness_a-true-bond-of-friendship-is-usually-onl_860747.jpg" --- # A true bond of friendship is usually only possible between… ![“A true bond of friendship is usually only possible between people of roughly equal status. This equality is demonstrated in many indirect ways, but it is reinforced in face-to-face encounters by a matching of the posture of relaxation or alertness.” quote by Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/desmond-morris-17347_alertness_a-true-bond-of-friendship-is-usually-onl_860747.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/desmond-morris-17347_alertness_a-true-bond-of-friendship-is-usually-onl_860747.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/6b4/desmond-morris-17347_alertness_a-true-bond-of-friendship-is-usually-onl_860747.jpg) > “A true bond of friendship is usually only possible between people of roughly equal status. This equality is demonstrated in many indirect ways, but it is reinforced in face-to-face encounters by a matching of the posture of relaxation or alertness.” [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Friendship thrives when status is balanced, shown through relaxed or alert body language in direct encounters. **In simple terms:** Equality fuels true friendship. Key Takeaway Seek and maintain balanced relationships. Themes friendship status nonverbal communication Mood observational analytical Type reflective insightful When to use this quote - teamwork - social networking - conflict resolution - leadership Key Concepts equality social hierarchy Questions to Reflect On - What signals indicate true equality in a relationship? - How can you foster balanced status in groups? A Different Perspective Power dynamics can still influence perception despite equal status. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Alertness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alertness/) [Bond Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bond-friendship-702171/) [Bonds of friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bonds-of-friendship/) [Encounters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encounters/) [Equal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equal/) [Equality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/equality/) [Face to face](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/face-to-face/) [Faces](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faces/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendship Usually](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship-usually-850495/) [Indirect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/indirect/) [Matching](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matching/) [Matching Posture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/matching-posture-850496/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Posture](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/posture/) [Relationships](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationships/) [Relaxation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relaxation/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) ## Related quotes > [There is no stronger bond of friendship than a common enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-frankfort-moore/there-is-no-stronger-bond-of-friendship-than-a-common-enemy/) [Frank Frankfort Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-frankfort-moore/) > [To have the same desires and the same aversion is assuredly a firm bond of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/to-have-the-same-desires-and-the-same-aversion-is-assuredly-a-firm/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [To have the same likes and dislikes, therein consists the firmest bond of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sallust/to-have-the-same-likes-and-dislikes-therein-consists-the-firmest-bond/) [Sallust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sallust/) > [Confidence is the only bond of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/publilius-syrus/confidence-is-the-only-bond-of-friendship/) [Publilius Syrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/publilius-syrus/) > [Shared laughter creates a bond of friendship.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-grant/shared-laughter-creates-a-bond-of-friendship/) [Lee Grant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-grant/) > [The strong bond of friendship is not always a balanced equation; friendship is not always about giving and taking in equal shares. Instead, friendship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-sinek/the-strong-bond-of-friendship-is-not-always-a-balanced-equation/) [Simon Sinek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-sinek/) > [There is no stronger bond of friendship than a mutual enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-frankfort-moore/there-is-no-stronger-bond-of-friendship-than-a-mutual-enemy/) [Frank Frankfort Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-frankfort-moore/) > [Usually, you don't have commitment promises in a friendship. Usually, it just grows.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheila-heti/usually-you-don-t-have-commitment-promises-in-a-friendship-usually-it/) [Sheila Heti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheila-heti/) > [The capacity for friendship usually goes with highly developed civilizations. The ability to cultivate people differs by culture and class; but on the whole,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-mead/the-capacity-for-friendship-usually-goes-with-highly-developed/) [Margaret Mead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-mead/) > [The death of a friendship was usually slow and insidious, like the wearing away of a hillside after years of too much rain. A…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-kingsbury/the-death-of-a-friendship-was-usually-slow-and-insidious-like-the/) [Karen Kingsbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-kingsbury/) > [Friendship is usually treated...as a tough...thing which will survive all manner of bad treatment. But this is an exceedingly great and foolish error; it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ouida/friendship-is-usually-treated-as-a-tough-thing-which-will-survive-all/) [Ouida](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ouida/) > [I had always been aware of George's importance to me, of the bond of friendship and of the sparkle and light, effervescence and electricity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-ridgeley/i-had-always-been-aware-of-george-s-importance-to-me-of-the-bond-of/) [Andrew Ridgeley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-ridgeley/) > [“Where self-interest is the bond, The friendship is dissolved When calamity comes. Where Tao is the bond, Friendship is made perfect By calamity.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-merton/where-self-interest-is-the-bond-the-friendship-is-dissolved-when/) [Thomas Merton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-merton/) > [Overlook an offense and bond a friendship; fasten on to a slight and-good-bye, friend!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverbs-17-9/overlook-an-offense-and-bond-a-friendship-fasten-on-to-a-slight-and/) [Proverbs 17:9](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proverbs-17-9/) > [In the short term, it absolutely feels devastating to break a bond of friendship. In the long term, it is the best possible thing.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-benincasa/in-the-short-term-it-absolutely-feels-devastating-to-break-a-bond-of/) [Sara Benincasa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-benincasa/) ## More by Desmond Morris > [As long as the human race is able to concern itself with more than mere survival, soccer will have its place.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/as-long-as-the-human-race-is-able-to-concern-itself-with-more-than/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [Clearly, then, the city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/clearly-then-the-city-is-not-a-concrete-jungle-it-is-a-human-zoo/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [People who keep dogs live longer on average than those who do not. This is not some kind of pro-canine campaigning fantasy. It is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/people-who-keep-dogs-live-longer-on-average-than-those-who-do-not/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [Life is like a very short visit to a toy shop between birth and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/life-is-like-a-very-short-visit-to-a-toy-shop-between-birth-and-death/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [The idea that it is funny to see wild animals coerced into acting like clumsy humans, or thrilling to see powerful beasts reduced to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-idea-that-it-is-funny-to-see-wild-animals-coerced-into-acting/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [The roots of our Soccer Tribe lie deep in our primeval past.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-roots-of-our-soccer-tribe-lie-deep-in-our-primeval-past/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [The response of teenagers to their idols is relevant. As an audience, they enjoy themselves, not by screaming with laughter, but screaming with screams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-response-of-teenagers-to-their-idols-is-relevant-as-an-audience/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [“A belief in the validity of the acquisition of knowledge and a scientific understanding of the world we live in, the creation and appreciation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/a-belief-in-the-validity-of-the-acquisition-of-knowledge-and-a/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [“My writing, on the other hand, is always done with my readers in mind. I never write for my own amusement. I always try…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/my-writing-on-the-other-hand-is-always-done-with-my-readers-in-mind-i/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [The city is not a concrete jungle, it is a human zoo.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/the-city-is-not-a-concrete-jungle-it-is-a-human-zoo/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [Life is like a very short visit to a toyshop between birth and death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/life-is-like-a-very-short-visit-to-a-toyshop-between-birth-and-death/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [...In little more than a single century from 1820 to 19450, no less than fifty-nine million human animals were killed in inter-group clashes of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/in-little-more-than-a-single-century-from-1820-to-19450-no-less-than/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [Monks, nuns, long-term spinsters and bachelors and permanent homosexuals are all, in a reproductive sense, aberrant. Society has bred them, but they have failed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/monks-nuns-long-term-spinsters-and-bachelors-and-permanent/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [Looking back now on the whole sexual scene we can see that our species has remained much more loyal to its basic biological urges…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/looking-back-now-on-the-whole-sexual-scene-we-can-see-that-our/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) > [Artists like cats; soldiers like dogs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/desmond-morris/artists-like-cats-soldiers-like-dogs/) [Desmond Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) [Explore all 37 Desmond Morris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/desmond-morris/) ## More Alertness quotes > [Cultivate the habit of thinking ahead, and of anticipating the necessary and immediate consequences of all your actions… Likewise in your pleasures, ask yourself…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-chesterfield/cultivate-the-habit-of-thinking-ahead-and-of-anticipating-the/) [Lord Chesterfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lord-chesterfield/) > [Jesus Christ does not teach us a spirituality “of closed eyes”, but one of “alertness”, one which entails an absolute duty to take notice…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-benedict-xvi/jesus-christ-does-not-teach-us-a-spirituality-of-closed-eyes-but-one/) [Pope Benedict XVI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-benedict-xvi/) > [Sailing a boat calls for quick action, a blending of feeling with the wind and water as well as with the very heart and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-matthew-adams/sailing-a-boat-calls-for-quick-action-a-blending-of-feeling-with-the/) [George Matthew Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-matthew-adams/) > [Shoulda, coulda, and woulda won't get it done.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pat-riley/shoulda-coulda-and-woulda-won-t-get-it-done/) [Pat Riley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pat-riley/) > [The same is the case when you enter a womb, enter into a fresh body, and start the journey of desires. But if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-same-is-the-case-when-you-enter-a-womb-enter-into-a-fresh-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [Quick naps improve your senses, alertness, decision making, and creativity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/quick-naps-improve-your-senses-alertness-decision-making-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I believe that every person, male and female, needs to be in a protective mode at all times of alertness to potential danger. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/camille-paglia/i-believe-that-every-person-male-and-female-needs-to-be-in-a/) [Camille Paglia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/camille-paglia/) > [Forgiveness feels most dramatic when some ancient pattern of self-punishment collapses in a torrent of tears. But it is just as effective when practiced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/d-patrick-miller/forgiveness-feels-most-dramatic-when-some-ancient-pattern-of-self/) [D. Patrick Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/d-patrick-miller/) > [Alertness is the hidden discipline of familiarity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-whyte/alertness-is-the-hidden-discipline-of-familiarity/) [David Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-whyte/) > [When you take your attention into the present moment, a certain alertness arises. You become more conscious of what's around you, but also, strangely,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-take-your-attention-into-the-present-moment-a-certain/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“•To become more expert at anything, the community needs to encourage and support the brain/ mind principle of relaxed alertness. Fear can hinder the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelly-a-flores/to-become-more-expert-at-anything-the-community-needs-to-encourage/) [Kelly a Flores](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelly-a-flores/) > [To be aware of little, quiet things, you need to be quiet inside. A high degree of alertness is required. Be still. Look. Listen.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/to-be-aware-of-little-quiet-things-you-need-to-be-quiet-inside-a-high/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [“that alertness for measuring and weighing event against eventuality, circumstance against human nature, his own fallible judgement and mortal clay against not only human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-faulkner/that-alertness-for-measuring-and-weighing-event-against-eventuality/) [William Faulkner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-faulkner/) > [What we must remember, however, is that preservation of liberties does not depend on motives. A suppression of liberty has the same effect whether…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-o-douglas/what-we-must-remember-however-is-that-preservation-of-liberties-does/) [William O. Douglas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-o-douglas/) > [The practice of 'asanas' and 'pranayama' wards off disease and helps to maintain alertness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sivananda/the-practice-of-asanas-and-pranayama-wards-off-disease-and-helps-to/) [Sivananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sivananda/) [Browse all 82 Alertness quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/alertness/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A true bond of friendship is usually only possible between people of roughly equal status. 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