--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Because our expression is imperfect we…" description: "\"Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to fill up the imperfections.\" — Gilbert K. Chesterton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_expression_because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-n_1681719.png" --- # Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to… ![“Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to fill up the imperfections.” quote by Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_expression_because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-n_1681719.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_expression_because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-n_1681719.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_expression_because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-n_1681719.png) > “Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to fill up the imperfections.” [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Because we are imperfect, friendship fills our gaps and completes us. **In simple terms:** Friendship fills our imperfections. Key Takeaway Seek friendships that complement your flaws. Themes friendship imperfection completion Mood warm thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - personal growth - social support - community building - self‑acceptance Key Concepts ethical philosophy human connection Questions to Reflect On - What qualities make a friend truly complementary? - How can we give back to friends who support us? A Different Perspective Friendship can also highlight flaws, causing discomfort. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Expression](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) [Expression Imperfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression-imperfect-964593/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendship Imperfections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship-imperfections-964591/) [Imperfect](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfect/) [Imperfect Need](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfect-need-964592/) [Imperfection](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imperfection/) [Needs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/needs/) ## Related quotes > [Being human, we are imperfect. That's why we need each other. To catch each other when we falter. To encourage each other when we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hillary-clinton/being-human-we-are-imperfect-that-s-why-we-need-each-other-to-catch-2/) [Hillary Clinton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hillary-clinton/) > [It is not the perfect, but the imperfect, who have need of love.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-not-the-perfect-but-the-imperfect-who-have-need-of-love/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [Being Human, We Are Imperfect. That's Why We Need Each Other When We Falter. To Encourage Each Other When We Lose Heart. Some May…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pacifiersucker/being-human-we-are-imperfect-that-s-why-we-need-each-other-when-we/) [Pacifiersucker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pacifiersucker/) > [How happy I am to see myself as imperfect and to be in need of God's mercy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/therese-of-lisieux/how-happy-i-am-to-see-myself-as-imperfect-and-to-be-in-need-of-god-s/) [Therese of Lisieux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/therese-of-lisieux/) > [Being human, we are imperfect.That's why we need each other.To catch each other when we falter.To encourage each other when we lose heart. Some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/being-human-we-are-imperfect-that-s-why-we-need-each-other-to-catch/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [“It is not the perfect, but the imperfect, who have need of love. It is when we are wounded by our own hands that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-not-the-perfect-but-the-imperfect-who-have-need-of-love-it-is-2/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“It is not the perfect, but the imperfect, who have need of love. It is when we are wounded by our own hands, or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-not-the-perfect-but-the-imperfect-who-have-need-of-love-it-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [It is only imperfection that complains of what is imperfect. The more perfect we are the more gentle and quiet we become towards the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-addison/it-is-only-imperfection-that-complains-of-what-is-imperfect-the-more/) [Joseph Addison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-addison/) > [The world is not imperfect or slowly evolving along a long path to perfection. No, it is perfect at every moment; every sin already…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hermann-hesse/the-world-is-not-imperfect-or-slowly-evolving-along-a-long-path-to/) [Hermann Hesse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hermann-hesse/) > [In completing one discovery we never fail to get an imperfect knowledge of others of which we could have no idea before, so that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-priestley/in-completing-one-discovery-we-never-fail-to-get-an-imperfect/) [Joseph Priestley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-priestley/) > [Nobody's perfect, so don't put a marking criteria on what you want in a companion and then expect them to not have faults or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carniel-dunlop/nobody-s-perfect-so-don-t-put-a-marking-criteria-on-what-you-want-in/) [Carniel Dunlop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carniel-dunlop/) > [My personal relationship with music is an imperfect harmony because I never studied music, but here I am not just writing for bands but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/serj-tankian/my-personal-relationship-with-music-is-an-imperfect-harmony-because-i/) [Serj Tankian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/serj-tankian/) > [“Every sentence I could think of has already been said a hundred times over, by people whose words come out perfect and beautifully formed,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aubrey-rose/every-sentence-i-could-think-of-has-already-been-said-a-hundred-times/) [Aubrey Rose](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aubrey-rose/) > [Laugh at every mistakes and realize that no one is perfect. We are human. All of us are imperfect, so there's no point judging…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/laugh-at-every-mistakes-and-realize-that-no-one-is-perfect-we-are/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You know why you're not perfect? You do everything perfectly and you think you are perfect, but the mere fact that you think about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-know-why-you-re-not-perfect-you-do-everything-perfectly-and-you/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) ## More by Gilbert K. Chesterton > [The aim of good prose words is to mean what they say. The aim of good poetical words is to mean what they do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-aim-of-good-prose-words-is-to-mean-what-they-say-the-aim-of-good/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Youth is always too serious, and just now it is too serious about frivolity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/youth-is-always-too-serious-and-just-now-it-is-too-serious-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Tradition does not mean a dead town; it does not mean that the living are dead but that the dead are alive. It means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/tradition-does-not-mean-a-dead-town-it-does-not-mean-that-the-living/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [It is shorter to state the things forbidden than the things permitted; precisely because most things are permitted and only a few things forbidden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/it-is-shorter-to-state-the-things-forbidden-than-the-things-permitted/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Everyone seems to assume that the unscrupulous parts of journalism will be the frivolous or jocular parts. This is against all ethical experience. Jokes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/everyone-seems-to-assume-that-the-unscrupulous-parts-of-journalism/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [For Scotland has a double dose of the poison called heredity; the sense of blood in the aristocrat, the sense of doom in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/for-scotland-has-a-double-dose-of-the-poison-called-heredity-the/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Faith is always at a disadvantage; it is a perpetually defeated thing which survives all conquerors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/faith-is-always-at-a-disadvantage-it-is-a-perpetually-defeated-thing/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [A building is akin to dogma; it is insolent, like dogma. Whether or no it is permanent, it claims permanence, like a dogma. People…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-building-is-akin-to-dogma-it-is-insolent-like-dogma-whether-or-no/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The triangle of truisms, of father, mother and child, cannot be destroyed; it can only destroy those civilizations which disregard it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-triangle-of-truisms-of-father-mother-and-child-cannot-be/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Criticism is only words about words, and of what use are words about such words as these?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/criticism-is-only-words-about-words-and-of-what-use-are-words-about/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [What we suffer from today is humility in the wrong place...The old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping; not a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/what-we-suffer-from-today-is-humility-in-the-wrong-place-the-old/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Plato was only a Bernard Shaw who unfortunately made his jokes in Greek.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/plato-was-only-a-bernard-shaw-who-unfortunately-made-his-jokes-in/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [The word good has many meanings...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/the-word-good-has-many-meanings/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Music with dinner is an insult both to the cook and the violinist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/music-with-dinner-is-an-insult-both-to-the-cook-and-the-violinist/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [Eugenics asserts that all men must be so stupid that they cannot manage their own affairs; and also so clever that they can manage…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/eugenics-asserts-that-all-men-must-be-so-stupid-that-they-cannot/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) [Explore all 868 Gilbert K. Chesterton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) ## More Expression quotes > [The sublime in art is the attempt to express the infinite without finding in the realm of phenomena any object which proves itself fitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/the-sublime-in-art-is-the-attempt-to-express-the-infinite-without/) [Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-wilhelm-friedrich-hegel/) > [“What does it mean to be a self-conscious animal? The idea is ludicrous, if it is not monstrous. It means to know that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-becker/what-does-it-mean-to-be-a-self-conscious-animal-the-idea-is-ludicrous/) [Ernest Becker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-becker/) > [Instead of asking a girl how she feels, try looking through her recently listened to songs. The lyrics are the answer to all your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/instead-of-asking-a-girl-how-she-feels-try-looking-through-her/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [The concept of humanity is an especially useful ideological instrument of imperialist expansion, and in its ethical-humanitarian form it is a specific vehicle of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-schmitt/the-concept-of-humanity-is-an-especially-useful-ideological/) [Carl Schmitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-schmitt/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Our fashion for us, it's an expression; first of all of life, I put all of myself in my fashion. Sometimes it's good, sometimes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stefano-gabbana/our-fashion-for-us-it-s-an-expression-first-of-all-of-life-i-put-all/) [Stefano Gabbana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stefano-gabbana/) > [We can see nothing whatever of the soul unless it is visible in the expression of the countenance; one might call the faces at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-c-lichtenberg/we-can-see-nothing-whatever-of-the-soul-unless-it-is-visible-in-the/) [Georg C. Lichtenberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-c-lichtenberg/) > [Early experience shapes the structure and function of the brain. This reveals the fundamental way in which gene expression is determined by experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-j-siegel/early-experience-shapes-the-structure-and-function-of-the-brain-this/) [Daniel J. Siegel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-j-siegel/) > [Singing has always seemed to me the most perfect means of expression. It is so spontaneous. And after singing, I think the violin. Since…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgia-o-keeffe/singing-has-always-seemed-to-me-the-most-perfect-means-of-expression/) [Georgia O'Keeffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georgia-o-keeffe/) > [Every genuine expression of love grows out of a consistent and total surrender to God.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/every-genuine-expression-of-love-grows-out-of-a-consistent-and-total/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Nick looked vaguely homicidal, but that was sort of his default expression.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-rees-brennan/nick-looked-vaguely-homicidal-but-that-was-sort-of-his-default/) [Sarah Rees Brennan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-rees-brennan/) > [They are the gateway for our modern esthetic development, the prophets of the new time. They are most of all, the primitives of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/they-are-the-gateway-for-our-modern-esthetic-development-the-prophets/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [The mountain receives our expressions and becomes part of us; we imprint our memories upon it and trust it with out dearest divisions of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-barcott/the-mountain-receives-our-expressions-and-becomes-part-of-us-we/) [Bruce Barcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-barcott/) > [In science, the most exciting expression isn’t ‘Eureka!’ It’s ‘Huh?’](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-hawley/in-science-the-most-exciting-expression-isn-t-eureka-it-s-huh/) [Michael Hawley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-hawley/) > [A commitment to lifelong learning is a natural expression of the practice of living consciously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathaniel-branden/a-commitment-to-lifelong-learning-is-a-natural-expression-of-the/) [Nathaniel Branden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathaniel-branden/) [Browse all 5,024 Expression quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/expression/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to fill up the imperfections.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Gilbert K. Chesterton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-need-friendship-to-fill-up-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Expression" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-need-friendship-to-fill-up-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_expression_because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-n_1681719.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_expression_because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-n_1681719.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/782/gilbert-k-chesterton-223_expression_because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-n_1681719.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Because our expression is imperfect we need friendship to fill up the imperfections.” — Gilbert K. Chesterton", "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": "Gilbert K. Chesterton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Because our expression is imperfect we...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-need-friendship-to-fill-up-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/because-our-expression-is-imperfect-we-need-friendship-to-fill-up-the/#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 } } ] } ```