---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had a very close relationship with…"
description: "\"I had a very close relationship with another kid when I was growing up. I was his imaginary friend.\" — Emo Philips"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/emo-philips-1788_close-relationship_i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-ano_876785.png"
---

#  I had a very close relationship with another kid when I…

![“I had a very close relationship with another kid when I was growing up. I was his imaginary friend.” quote by Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/emo-philips-1788_close-relationship_i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-ano_876785.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/emo-philips-1788_close-relationship_i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-ano_876785.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/emo-philips-1788_close-relationship_i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-ano_876785.png)

> “I had a very close relationship with another kid when I was growing up. I was his imaginary friend.”

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

## About This Quote

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

Imaginary friendships can be deep and meaningful, even if they are not real.

**In simple terms:** Imaginary friends matter.

Key Takeaway

Value all meaningful connections.

Themes

imagination friendship loneliness

Mood

playful thoughtful

Type

humorous philosophical

When to use this quote

- childhood development
- therapy
- storytelling

Key Concepts

psychology of play social bonding creativity

Questions to Reflect On

- What does your imaginary friend teach you?
- How can imagination aid real life?

A Different Perspective

Relying on fantasy may avoid real relationships.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Close relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-relationship/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Growing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing/) [Growing Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-imaginary-1009361/) [Growing up](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/growing-up/) [Imaginary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary/) [Imaginary friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imaginary-friend/) [Kids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kids/) [Relationship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship/) [Relationship Kid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/relationship-kid-1009362/)

## Related quotes

> [ You can sit down with your child and prompt him to show you something - perhaps how to play a game \[on the computer\].… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seymour-papert/you-can-sit-down-with-your-child-and-prompt-him-to-show-you-something/)

[Seymour Papert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seymour-papert/)

> [Growing up as a chubby kid with a ton of imaginary friends and a Cyndi Lauper obsession, I learned about rejection early on and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beth-ditto/growing-up-as-a-chubby-kid-with-a-ton-of-imaginary-friends-and-a/)

[Beth Ditto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beth-ditto/)

> [Here's what I love: I love sitting at my desk, staring at the blank screen, and beginning that conversation with my imaginary friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-meltzer/here-s-what-i-love-i-love-sitting-at-my-desk-staring-at-the-blank/)

[Brad Meltzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-meltzer/)

> [I didn't have an imaginary friend, and even if I did I'm sure it would have been derivative of something I saw on television.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-santat/i-didn-t-have-an-imaginary-friend-and-even-if-i-did-i-m-sure-it-would/)

[Dan Santat](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-santat/)

> [I'm not an activist by nature. I am suspicious of Utopian thinking and equally suspicious of its alternate. I would prefer to stay in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-atwood/i-m-not-an-activist-by-nature-i-am-suspicious-of-utopian-thinking-and-2/)

[Margaret Atwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-atwood/)

> [Bubba was the one person who wouldn’t even bat an eyelash that Nick was talking to an “imaginary” friend. Heck, he’d probably bring one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/bubba-was-the-one-person-who-wouldn-t-even-bat-an-eyelash-that-nick/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [I never wore a stich of make-up until I got to America. I lived in a world of fantasy it was made up of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-anderson/i-never-wore-a-stich-of-make-up-until-i-got-to-america-i-lived-in-a/)

[Pamela Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-anderson/)

> [Can you imagine Simon as a kid? His imaginary friends probably never wanted to play with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paula-abdul/can-you-imagine-simon-as-a-kid-his-imaginary-friends-probably-never/)

[Paula Abdul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paula-abdul/)

> [I still have imaginary friends who I talk to in my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-ryan/i-still-have-imaginary-friends-who-i-talk-to-in-my-head/)

[Lee Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-ryan/)

> [Does religion fill a much needed gap? It is often said that there is a God-shaped gap in the brain which needs to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/does-religion-fill-a-much-needed-gap-it-is-often-said-that-there-is-a/)

[Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/)

> [I took my first acting class at age 6 because I found out that's what Carol Burnett was doing - acting. Also she had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-lakin/i-took-my-first-acting-class-at-age-6-because-i-found-out-that-s-what/)

[Christine Lakin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-lakin/)

> [My imaginary friend's parents think I'm not real.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/my-imaginary-friend-s-parents-think-i-m-not-real/)

[Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/)

> [He says he’d rather be dead than leave me. According to him, we’re family. I guess that makes me the psycho uncle no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/he-says-he-d-rather-be-dead-than-leave-me-according-to-him-we-re/)

[Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/)

> [On the spectrum of imagination, there are people who are more imaginative than others - I guess some kids are hardcore pretenders and have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryce-dallas-howard/on-the-spectrum-of-imagination-there-are-people-who-are-more/)

[Bryce Dallas Howard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryce-dallas-howard/)

> [I was a loner as a child. I had an imaginary friend - I didn't bother with him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/i-was-a-loner-as-a-child-i-had-an-imaginary-friend-i-didn-t-bother/)

[George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/)

## More by Emo Philips

> [Once I was in a restaurant and I dropped my fork on the floor, and they gave me a new fork. So I pushed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/once-i-was-in-a-restaurant-and-i-dropped-my-fork-on-the-floor-and/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [I give money to Unicef because I like the 'bang for your buck' aspect. Here's $10, go and save 1,000 kids from blindness!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-give-money-to-unicef-because-i-like-the-bang-for-your-buck-aspect/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [Libertarians believe consenting adults have the right to do whatever they choose, except band together.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/libertarians-believe-consenting-adults-have-the-right-to-do-whatever/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [I love England. In fact, they're getting to know me so well at Heathrow Immigration that this time I was able to completely bypass…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-love-england-in-fact-they-re-getting-to-know-me-so-well-at-heathrow/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [He taught me never to smile, which helps me when I visit disaster sites.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/he-taught-me-never-to-smile-which-helps-me-when-i-visit-disaster-sites/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [The way I understand it, the Russians are sort of a combination of evil and incompetence... sort of like the Post Office with tanks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/the-way-i-understand-it-the-russians-are-sort-of-a-combination-of/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [I got in a fight one time with a really big guy, and he said, "I'm going to mop the floor with your face."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-got-in-a-fight-one-time-with-a-really-big-guy-and-he-said-i-m-going/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [I don't know if I was put on this Earth for a purpose or not. But I'm fairly confident that I'll be taken off…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-don-t-know-if-i-was-put-on-this-earth-for-a-purpose-or-not-but-i-m/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [I got a letter from the IRS. Apparently I owe them $800. So I sent them a letter back. I said, If you'll remember,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-got-a-letter-from-the-irs-apparently-i-owe-them-800-so-i-sent-them/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [If you're worth over $50m you should have to dress like that guy on the Monopoly box. The super-rich shouldn't get all the benefits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/if-you-re-worth-over-50m-you-should-have-to-dress-like-that-guy-on/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [Race is still somewhat of a taboo in comedy. But if you're a minority, then you can make fun of your own minority. And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/race-is-still-somewhat-of-a-taboo-in-comedy-but-if-you-re-a-minority/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [I like to play chess with bald men in the park although it's hard to find 32 of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-like-to-play-chess-with-bald-men-in-the-park-although-it-s-hard-to/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [If computers get too powerful, we can organize them into a committee - that will do them in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/if-computers-get-too-powerful-we-can-organize-them-into-a-committee/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [You don't appreciate a lot of stuff in school until you get older. Little things like being spanked every day by a middle-aged woman:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/you-don-t-appreciate-a-lot-of-stuff-in-school-until-you-get-older/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

> [Thinking up jokes is easy. The hard part is trying them out on stage, because you never know if they're funny until you get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/thinking-up-jokes-is-easy-the-hard-part-is-trying-them-out-on-stage/)

[Emo Philips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

[Explore all 208 Emo Philips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/)

## More Close relationship quotes

> [“We Will Let You Down: If We’re Close Enough to Help, We’re Close Enough to Hurt Bob Nobody wants to be the church that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-briggs-2/we-will-let-you-down-if-we-re-close-enough-to-help-we-re-close-enough/)

[J.R. Briggs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-briggs-2/)

> [For a man, there's a big responsibility that comes with having a boy because men are made by their fathers. If you've got a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rafe-spall/for-a-man-there-s-a-big-responsibility-that-comes-with-having-a-boy/)

[Rafe Spall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rafe-spall/)

> [This 'Making Mirrors' album is far more personal, even if there's a character element to the sounds I'm working with. Every song on this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gotye/this-making-mirrors-album-is-far-more-personal-even-if-there-s-a/)

[Gotye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gotye/)

> [From 50 centuries, we can learn about the close relationship between garden design and urban design, because both arts involve the composition of buildings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-turner/from-50-centuries-we-can-learn-about-the-close-relationship-between/)

[Tom Turner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-turner/)

> [Growing up, people always thought that my dad and me had a close relationship. We never did.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinity-rodman/growing-up-people-always-thought-that-my-dad-and-me-had-a-close/)

[Trinity Rodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinity-rodman/)

> [“Your judgments about another person say more about your own character than the character of the person you are pointing a finger at. This…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alaric-hutchinson/your-judgments-about-another-person-say-more-about-your-own-character/)

[Alaric Hutchinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alaric-hutchinson/)

> [“In 1925 Woolf began an affair with Sackville-West, who was married to Harold Nicolson, the diplomat and writer, and the development of their close…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-goldman/in-1925-woolf-began-an-affair-with-sackville-west-who-was-married-to/)

[Jane Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-goldman/)

> [It's hard to think of any tool, any instrument, any object in history with which so many developed so close a relationship so quickly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nancy-gibbs/it-s-hard-to-think-of-any-tool-any-instrument-any-object-in-history/)

[Nancy Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nancy-gibbs/)

> [“the major relational problem for our species is not getting together; protoplasm loves to join. The problem is preserving self in a close relationship.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edwin-h-friedman-2/the-major-relational-problem-for-our-species-is-not-getting-together/)

[Edwin H Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edwin-h-friedman-2/)

> [Fame does lead to money, which I don't have a close relationship with. I'm the kind of guy who never sees the money -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-duchovny/fame-does-lead-to-money-which-i-don-t-have-a-close-relationship-with/)

[David Duchovny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-duchovny/)

> [The excellence of every art is its intensity, capable of making all disagreeables, from their being in close relationship with beauty and truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-keats/the-excellence-of-every-art-is-its-intensity-capable-of-making-all/)

[John Keats](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-keats/)

> [I guess we've had a very close relationship because I don't pretend to know about cinema and I think I do know a bit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lloyd-webber/i-guess-we-ve-had-a-very-close-relationship-because-i-don-t-pretend/)

[Andrew Lloyd Webber](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lloyd-webber/)

> [It's interesting that I had such a close relationship with my grandfather. Because your parents always judge you: they say, 'You shouldn't do this,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/novak-djokovic/it-s-interesting-that-i-had-such-a-close-relationship-with-my/)

[Novak Djokovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/novak-djokovic/)

> [I lived near the border with China, and one night, I simply left home and walked across the iced-over river that separated the two…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lee-hyeon-seo/i-lived-near-the-border-with-china-and-one-night-i-simply-left-home/)

[Lee Hyeon-seo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lee-hyeon-seo/)

> [Spicy food and I have a close relationship—an obsessive one, in fact. If it’s spicy, I want it. I want to sweat and shake…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maureen-johnson/spicy-food-and-i-have-a-close-relationship-an-obsessive-one-in-fact/)

[Maureen Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maureen-johnson/)

[Browse all 172 Close relationship quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/close-relationship/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "I had a very close relationship with another kid when I was growing up. I was his imaginary friend.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Emo Philips"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-another-kid-when-i-was-growing/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Close relationship"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-another-kid-when-i-was-growing/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/emo-philips-1788_close-relationship_i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-ano_876785.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/emo-philips-1788_close-relationship_i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-ano_876785.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b22/emo-philips-1788_close-relationship_i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-ano_876785.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“I had a very close relationship with another kid when I was growing up. I was his imaginary friend.” — Emo Philips",
                "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": "Emo Philips",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emo-philips/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "I had a very close relationship...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-another-kid-when-i-was-growing/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emo-philips/i-had-a-very-close-relationship-with-another-kid-when-i-was-growing/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
