--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You have been my friend,\" replied…" description: "\"“You have been my friend,\" replied Charlotte. \"That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little whi..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/e-b-white-2-8829_friendship_you-have-been-my-friend-replied-charlott_921818.jpg" --- # You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in… ![“You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die...By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.” quote by E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/e-b-white-2-8829_friendship_you-have-been-my-friend-replied-charlott_921818.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/e-b-white-2-8829_friendship_you-have-been-my-friend-replied-charlott_921818.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1af/e-b-white-2-8829_friendship_you-have-been-my-friend-replied-charlott_921818.jpg) > ““You have been my friend," replied Charlotte. "That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die...By helping you, perhaps I was trying to lift up my life a trifle. Heaven knows anyone's life can stand a little of that.”” [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Friendship gives meaning to fleeting existence. **In simple terms:** Friends give life purpose. Key Takeaway Cherish and help friends. Themes friendship existence purpose Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - hospital visits - support groups - personal crises - volunteering Key Concepts mortality altruism meaning Questions to Reflect On - What does “life” mean to you? - How can you support a friend in need? A Different Perspective Friendship can be one‑sided or painful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“You have been my friend," replied Charlotte, "That in itself is a tremendous thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/you-have-been-my-friend-replied-charlotte-that-in-itself-is-a/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [Why did you do all this for me?' he asked. 'I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.' 'You have been my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/why-did-you-do-all-this-for-me-he-asked-i-don-t-deserve-it-i-ve-never/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [After all, what's a life, anyway? We're born, we live a little while, we die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/after-all-what-s-a-life-anyway-we-re-born-we-live-a-little-while-we/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“You're terrific as far as I'm concerned," replied Charlotte, sweetly, "and that's what counts. You're my best friend, and I think you're sensational. Now…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlottes-web-e-b-white/you-re-terrific-as-far-as-i-m-concerned-replied-charlotte-sweetly-and/) Charlottes web E.B. White > [The Pastor said, "You need to join the Army of the Lord!" My friend replied, "I'm already in the Army of the Lord, Pastor."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-pastor-said-you-need-to-join-the-army-of-the-lord-my-friend/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You have been my friends, replied Charlotte, that in itself is a tremendous thing...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-have-been-my-friends-replied-charlotte-that-in-itself-is-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [One day a man asked me how long do you need this friend with you? I replied I simply put a drop of water…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/punkinhead-abhishek/one-day-a-man-asked-me-how-long-do-you-need-this-friend-with-you-i-2/) [Punkinhead Abhishek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/punkinhead-abhishek/) > [BEST FRIENDS are the people in life that make you laugh a little louder, smile a little brighter and live a little better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna/best-friends-are-the-people-in-life-that-make-you-laugh-a-little/) [Anna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna/) > [“A girl's life is the worst life in the world. A girl's life is: you are born, you bleed, you burn.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathleen-glasgow/a-girl-s-life-is-the-worst-life-in-the-world-a-girl-s-life-is-you-are/) [Kathleen Glasgow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathleen-glasgow/) > [I've had a lovely life, born with a silver spoon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-rosenthal/i-ve-had-a-lovely-life-born-with-a-silver-spoon/) [Tom Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-rosenthal/) > [There is a web of life into which we are born, from which we can never fall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-kornfield/there-is-a-web-of-life-into-which-we-are-born-from-which-we-can-never/) [Jack Kornfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-kornfield/) > [I have thought about this often - I don't know much of the life I was before I was born. I don't know of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vijay-deverakonda/i-have-thought-about-this-often-i-don-t-know-much-of-the-life-i-was/) [Vijay Deverakonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vijay-deverakonda/) > [Eighteen months before I was born, my mother was in Auschwitz. She weighed 49 pounds. She always told me that God saved her so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diane-von-furstenberg/eighteen-months-before-i-was-born-my-mother-was-in-auschwitz-she/) [Diane von Furstenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diane-von-furstenberg/) > [“Turns out there’s a way to give in without losing. You got to find some slack in you. Just this side of your breaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-wrinkle/turns-out-there-s-a-way-to-give-in-without-losing-you-got-to-find/) [Margaret Wrinkle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-wrinkle/) > [“Happy Woman's day,let's remember woman is not the half of society,but she's the universe that life is born inside”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abeer-almadawy/happy-woman-s-day-let-s-remember-woman-is-not-the-half-of-society-but/) [Abeer Almadawy عبير المعداوي](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abeer-almadawy/) ## More by E.B. White > [“In the loveliest town of all where the houses were white and high and the elm trees were green and higher than the houses…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/in-the-loveliest-town-of-all-where-the-houses-were-white-and-high-and/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“He was sad because his new friend was so bloodthirsty.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/he-was-sad-because-his-new-friend-was-so-bloodthirsty/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“On any person who desires such queer prizes, New York will bestow the gift of loneliness and the gift of privacy. It is this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/on-any-person-who-desires-such-queer-prizes-new-york-will-bestow-the/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“But the city makes up for its hazards and its deficiencies by supplying its citizens with massive doses of a supplementary vitamin-the sense of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/but-the-city-makes-up-for-its-hazards-and-its-deficiencies-by/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“Third, there is the New York of the person who was born somewhere else and came to New York in quest of something. Of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/third-there-is-the-new-york-of-the-person-who-was-born-somewhere-else/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“A library is many things. It’s a place to go, to get in out of the rain. It’s a place to go if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/a-library-is-many-things-it-s-a-place-to-go-to-get-in-out-of-the-rain-2/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“Most people believe almost anything they see in print.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/most-people-believe-almost-anything-they-see-in-print/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“Remember that writing is translation, and the opus to be translated is yourself.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/remember-that-writing-is-translation-and-the-opus-to-be-translated-is/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“Just the minute another person is drawn into some one's life, there begin to arise undreamed-of complexities, and from such a simple beginning as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/just-the-minute-another-person-is-drawn-into-some-one-s-life-there/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“Your essays spoke of beauty, of love, of light and darkness, of joy and sorrow, and of the goodness of life. They were wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/your-essays-spoke-of-beauty-of-love-of-light-and-darkness-of-joy-and/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“I remember a day in class when he leaned forward, in his characteristic pose - the pose of a man about to impart a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/i-remember-a-day-in-class-when-he-leaned-forward-in-his/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“Explaining a joke is like dissecting a frog. You understand it better but the frog dies in the process.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/explaining-a-joke-is-like-dissecting-a-frog-you-understand-it-better/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“Analyzing humor is like disecting a frog. Few people are interested and the frog dies of it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/analyzing-humor-is-like-disecting-a-frog-few-people-are-interested/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [ “So I told \[the doctor\] about my hay fever, which used to rage just in summertime but now simmers the year round, and he… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/so-i-told-the-doctor-about-my-hay-fever-which-used-to-rage-just-in/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) > [“You have been my friend," replied Charlotte, "That in itself is a tremendous thing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-b-white-2/you-have-been-my-friend-replied-charlotte-that-in-itself-is-a/) [E.B. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) [Explore all 75 E.B. White quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-b-white-2/) ## More Friend quotes > [I'm trying to write a film with my friend. I'd love to get the thrill of speaking actors making my work even funnier.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-howard/i-m-trying-to-write-a-film-with-my-friend-i-d-love-to-get-the-thrill/) [Russell Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-howard/) > [I gave my archive to Emory University because there's a really dear friend who teaches there, Rudolph Byrd, and he's the editor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-walker/i-gave-my-archive-to-emory-university-because-there-s-a-really-dear/) [Alice Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-walker/) > [Friends are like stars you can't always see them, but you know they're there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/unknwon/friends-are-like-stars-you-can-t-always-see-them-but-you-know-they-re/) Unknwon > [“But my best friend from college was silent for a long time. She, of all of my friends, had seen the parade of sad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-groff/but-my-best-friend-from-college-was-silent-for-a-long-time-she-of-all/) [Lauren Groff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-groff/) > [“way. A true friend isn't the one that agrees with everything you say or do. A true friend is someone that has your back…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shameek-speight/way-a-true-friend-isn-t-the-one-that-agrees-with-everything-you-say/) [Shameek Speight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shameek-speight/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“The real purpose of friendship was to discover and exploit weakness in others.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-thompson/the-real-purpose-of-friendship-was-to-discover-and-exploit-weakness/) [Brian Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-thompson/) > [That FRIEND who claim they do anything for you. but yet talk behind your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kushsoulja/that-friend-who-claim-they-do-anything-for-you-but-yet-talk-behind/) KushSoulja > [In life, we never lose friends we only get to know who the true ones are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-kid/in-life-we-never-lose-friends-we-only-get-to-know-who-the-true-ones/) [Ace Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-kid/) > [“Before you were my enemy, you were my best friend.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kresley-cole/before-you-were-my-enemy-you-were-my-best-friend/) [Kresley Cole](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kresley-cole/) > [Sam dropped me off. When she was too far away to see me, I started to cry again. Because she was my friend again.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-chbosky/sam-dropped-me-off-when-she-was-too-far-away-to-see-me-i-started-to/) [Stephen Chbosky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-chbosky/) > [“When you get lost in a really strange place, nothing is more comforting than found your friend whom you trust and can show the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-get-lost-in-a-really-strange-place-nothing-is-more/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [Friendship, "the wine of life," should, like a well-stocked cellar, be continually renewed; and it is consolatory to think, that although we can seldom…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-boswell/friendship-the-wine-of-life-should-like-a-well-stocked-cellar-be/) [James Boswell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-boswell/) > [I fell in love with my best friend, but I know that if it doesn't last, it will never be the same.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shelly-yang/i-fell-in-love-with-my-best-friend-but-i-know-that-if-it-doesn-t-last/) Shelly Yang > [A best friend isn't someone who's just always there for you.Its someone who understands you a bit more than you understand yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/a-best-friend-isn-t-someone-who-s-just-always-there-for-you-its/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) [Browse all 14,984 Friend quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“You have been my friend,\" replied Charlotte. \"That in itself is a tremendous thing...after all, what's a life anyway? 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