--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A Platonic friendship is perhaps only…" description: "\"A Platonic friendship is perhaps only possible when one or other of the Platonists is in love with a third person.\" — Evelyn Beatrice Hall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/evelyn-beatrice-hall-40694_friendship_a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-po_1302284.jpg" --- # A Platonic friendship is perhaps only possible when one or… ![“A Platonic friendship is perhaps only possible when one or other of the Platonists is in love with a third person.” quote by Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/evelyn-beatrice-hall-40694_friendship_a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-po_1302284.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/evelyn-beatrice-hall-40694_friendship_a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-po_1302284.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/evelyn-beatrice-hall-40694_friendship_a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-po_1302284.jpg) > “A Platonic friendship is perhaps only possible when one or other of the Platonists is in love with a third person.” [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Platonic friendships may only survive when one friend loves a third, complicating pure affection. **In simple terms:** Friendships can be tangled by hidden love. Key Takeaway Recognize and address underlying emotions. Themes friendship love complexity Mood thoughtful analytical Type philosophical psychological When to use this quote - college roommates - online communities - work colleagues Key Concepts platonic ideal emotional honesty Questions to Reflect On - Can true platonic love exist without jealousy? - How to navigate love triangles in friendships? A Different Perspective Unspoken love can undermine trust. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) [Platonic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/platonic/) ## Related quotes > [People instantly assume you can't have a platonic friendship with someone of the opposite sex. I think this may be specific to L.A.—or America.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isabel-lucas/people-instantly-assume-you-can-t-have-a-platonic-friendship-with/) [Isabel Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isabel-lucas/) > [I've arrived at the age where a platonic friendship can be sustained on the highest moral plane.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-chaplin/i-ve-arrived-at-the-age-where-a-platonic-friendship-can-be-sustained/) [Charlie Chaplin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-chaplin/) > [“That men of this kind despise women, though a not uncommon belief, is one which hardly appears to be justified. Indeed, though naturally not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-carpenter/that-men-of-this-kind-despise-women-though-a-not-uncommon-belief-is/) [Edward Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-carpenter/) > [Show me a genuine case of platonic friendship, and I shall show you two old or homely faces.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/show-me-a-genuine-case-of-platonic-friendship-and-i-shall-show-you/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [ “\[A\]s people are beginning to see that the sexes form in a certain sense a continuous group, so they are beginning to see that… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-carpenter/a-s-people-are-beginning-to-see-that-the-sexes-form-in-a-certain/) [Edward Carpenter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-carpenter/) > [I don't think you should ever expect forever in anything, in either platonic friendships or sexual friendships.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-tyler-moore/i-don-t-think-you-should-ever-expect-forever-in-anything-in-either/) [Mary Tyler Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-tyler-moore/) > [I wanted to show platonic friendship between men and women, because I think it is underutilised in fiction.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gail-honeyman/i-wanted-to-show-platonic-friendship-between-men-and-women-because-i/) [Gail Honeyman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gail-honeyman/) > [Platonic friendship-the interval between the introduction and the first kiss.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophie-irene-loeb/platonic-friendship-the-interval-between-the-introduction-and-the/) [Sophie Irene Loeb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophie-irene-loeb/) > [“I don’t care how they speculate, or what their answers are. We live as we can, we do what we must, and not everything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wallace-stegner/i-don-t-care-how-they-speculate-or-what-their-answers-are-we-live-as/) [Wallace Stegner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wallace-stegner/) > [Friendship is not possible between two women one of whom is very well dressed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-colwin/friendship-is-not-possible-between-two-women-one-of-whom-is-very-well/) [Laurie Colwin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-colwin/) > [“ “Between men and women there is no friendship possible.  There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.”  -Oscar Wilde”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genna-rulon/between-men-and-women-there-is-no-friendship-possible-there-is/) [Genna Rulon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genna-rulon/) > [Love is possible after friendship,friendship is not possible after love because medicine work before death not after death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bakare/love-is-possible-after-friendship-friendship-is-not-possible-after/) [Bakare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bakare/) > [ “There is no friendship possible between men and women\[...\]. There is passion, enmity, worship, love, but no friendship.” ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gyles-brandreth/there-is-no-friendship-possible-between-men-and-women-there-is/) [Gyles Brandreth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gyles-brandreth/) > [Love is possible after friendship but friendship is not possible after love , because medicine works before death after death nothing is cured](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/love-is-possible-after-friendship-but-friendship-is-not-possible-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Love is Possible After Friendship. But Friendship is not Possible After Love. Because Medicines Work Before Death Not After Death!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aamir-sheikh/love-is-possible-after-friendship-but-friendship-is-not-possible/) [Aamir Sheikh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aamir-sheikh/) ## More by Evelyn Beatrice Hall > [It is as the father of the Encyclopedia that Denis Diderot merits eternal recognition. Guilty as he was in almost every relation of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/it-is-as-the-father-of-the-encyclopedia-that-denis-diderot-merits/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [If to be great means to be good, then Denis Diderot was a little man. But if to be great means to do great…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/if-to-be-great-means-to-be-good-then-denis-diderot-was-a-little-man/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [It is by character and not by intellect the world is won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/it-is-by-character-and-not-by-intellect-the-world-is-won/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [The crowning blessing of life-to be born with a bias to some pursuit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/the-crowning-blessing-of-life-to-be-born-with-a-bias-to-some-pursuit/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [“I detest what you write, but I would give my life to make it possible for you to continue to write.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/i-detest-what-you-write-but-i-would-give-my-life-to-make-it-possible/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [All men now allow that if any human power could have stemmed the avalanche of the French Revolution, it would have been the reforms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/all-men-now-allow-that-if-any-human-power-could-have-stemmed-the/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [There is always more goodness in the world than there appears to be, because goodness is of its very nature modest and retiring.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/there-is-always-more-goodness-in-the-world-than-there-appears-to-be/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it. N. B.: This quote is commonly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/i-disapprove-of-what-you-say-but-i-will-defend-to-the-death-your-2/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) > [He who has lost only those of whose faith and truth he is sure, has not yet reached the depth of human desolation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/he-who-has-lost-only-those-of-whose-faith-and-truth-he-is-sure-has/) [Evelyn Beatrice Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) [Explore all 10 Evelyn Beatrice Hall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/) ## 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": "A Platonic friendship is perhaps only possible when one or other of the Platonists is in love with a third person.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Evelyn Beatrice Hall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-possible-when-one-or-other-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-possible-when-one-or-other-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/evelyn-beatrice-hall-40694_friendship_a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-po_1302284.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/evelyn-beatrice-hall-40694_friendship_a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-po_1302284.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/338/evelyn-beatrice-hall-40694_friendship_a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-po_1302284.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A Platonic friendship is perhaps only possible when one or other of the Platonists is in love with a third…” — Evelyn Beatrice Hall", "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": "Evelyn Beatrice Hall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evelyn-beatrice-hall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A Platonic friendship is perhaps only...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-possible-when-one-or-other-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evelyn-beatrice-hall/a-platonic-friendship-is-perhaps-only-possible-when-one-or-other-of/#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 } } ] } ```