--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Friendship is provisional, you have to…" description: "\"“Friendship is provisional, you have to keep earning it, back and forth, give the gift that's only each other's to give”\" — Howard Norman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/howard-norman-34147_friendship_friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-ke_1992067.jpg" --- # Friendship is provisional, you have to keep earning it… ![“Friendship is provisional, you have to keep earning it, back and forth, give the gift that's only each other's to give” quote by Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/howard-norman-34147_friendship_friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-ke_1992067.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/howard-norman-34147_friendship_friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-ke_1992067.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/howard-norman-34147_friendship_friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-ke_1992067.jpg) > ““Friendship is provisional, you have to keep earning it, back and forth, give the gift that's only each other's to give”” [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Friendship requires continual mutual effort and reciprocity to remain strong. **In simple terms:** Friendship needs ongoing effort from both sides. Key Takeaway Keep nurturing and giving in friendships. Themes relationships trust reciprocity effort Mood reflective warm encouraging Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - personal relationships - team projects - long‑term collaborations Key Concepts social contract mutual investment Questions to Reflect On - How do you show appreciation in friendships? - What actions sustain mutual trust? A Different Perspective Friendship can be strained by unequal expectations or external pressures. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Forth Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forth-gift-3459399/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendship Provisional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship-provisional-3459398/) [Gift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gift/) [Provisional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/provisional-340068/) ## Related quotes > [Of course, economic forecasts must be revised when new information arrives and are thus necessarily provisional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ben-bernanke/of-course-economic-forecasts-must-be-revised-when-new-information/) [Ben Bernanke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ben-bernanke/) > [“Oh fuck. ‘The wait’s over then,’ he said in that provisional tone a demolition expert would use when saying, If it’s not the red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-c-gibbs/oh-fuck-the-wait-s-over-then-he-said-in-that-provisional-tone-a/) [C.C. Gibbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-c-gibbs/) > [“There’s always an end. But the end is always the beginning of something else. The periods we write into our lives are always provisional,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henning-mankell/there-s-always-an-end-but-the-end-is-always-the-beginning-of/) [Henning Mankell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henning-mankell/) > [Skepticism is provisional, even if it lasts a lifetime.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-bergam-n/skepticism-is-provisional-even-if-it-lasts-a-lifetime/) [Jose Bergamin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-bergam-n/) > [Home for the exile in a secular and contingent world is always provisional](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trinh-t-minh-ha/home-for-the-exile-in-a-secular-and-contingent-world-is-always/) [Trinh T. Minh-ha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trinh-t-minh-ha/) > [The idealist regards facts as provisional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mason-cooley/the-idealist-regards-facts-as-provisional/) [Mason Cooley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mason-cooley/) > [I believe that friendship is life's most precious and amazing gift and an incredibly powerful force.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ananya-birla/i-believe-that-friendship-is-life-s-most-precious-and-amazing-gift/) [Ananya Birla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ananya-birla/) > [“it was a gift from a very special friend. It means a lot to me now, give it back. -Akira to Mina”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nozomu-tamaki/it-was-a-gift-from-a-very-special-friend-it-means-a-lot-to-me-now/) [Nozomu Tamaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nozomu-tamaki/) > [Frindship is a gift try to take care of it](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/frindship-is-a-gift-try-to-take-care-of-it/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“I was thinking how most people don't make you feel much of anything at all. Don't make you feel like time spent with them…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-lotter/i-was-thinking-how-most-people-don-t-make-you-feel-much-of-anything/) [Jane Lotter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-lotter/) > [Here is your third gift from Me once again..I had a fourth gift it was about me making a video telling you how much…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lilbear/here-is-your-third-gift-from-me-once-again-i-had-a-fourth-gift-it-was/) [LilBear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lilbear/) > [“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/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknwon/) > [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/) > [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/) ## More by Howard Norman > [“There’s a Russian proverb: To taste the ocean, all you need is one gulp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/there-s-a-russian-proverb-to-taste-the-ocean-all-you-need-is-one-gulp/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“These broadcasts were of varied content. But all of them took the United States and Canada to task for their anti-Semitism, for not being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/these-broadcasts-were-of-varied-content-but-all-of-them-took-the/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“When I returned, I never once walked past the house where my mother, aunt, and I lved together...It was as if the past would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/when-i-returned-i-never-once-walked-past-the-house-where-my-mother/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“I can only repeat what I say to myself day and night: I expect nothing, yet life keeps taking unexpected turns.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/i-can-only-repeat-what-i-say-to-myself-day-and-night-i-expect-nothing/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“The thing unspoken often settles most bitterly in the heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/the-thing-unspoken-often-settles-most-bitterly-in-the-heart/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“My mother and Alexis had said no more than ten words to each other. The long silences were deafening”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/my-mother-and-alexis-had-said-no-more-than-ten-words-to-each-other/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“Everything I loved most happened most every day.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/everything-i-loved-most-happened-most-every-day/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“I went into the kitchen. My mother joined us there, Margaret threw back three shots in a row. "Oh yes, to be sure, Margaret…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/i-went-into-the-kitchen-my-mother-joined-us-there-margaret-threw-back/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“When thinking harshly on the human condition, as I so often do, my antidote is to think gently on libraries, for if human beings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/when-thinking-harshly-on-the-human-condition-as-i-so-often-do-my/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“Early on July 2, 1911, my father left with Lambert Charibon for Anticosti Island. Shortly after supper on the same day, my mother took…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/early-on-july-2-1911-my-father-left-with-lambert-charibon-for/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“What good is intelligence,' Akutagawa asked, 'if you can't ever discover a useful melancholy?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/what-good-is-intelligence-akutagawa-asked-if-you-can-t-ever-discover/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“In The Highland Book of Platitudes , Marlais, there's an entry that reads, "Not all ghosts earn our memory in equal measure." I think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/in-the-highland-book-of-platitudes-marlais-there-s-an-entry-that/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) > [“I bet he's hightailed it into Canada. Somewhere into Canada." "Let me put it this way. Basically, there's Canada and there's the United States…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/i-bet-he-s-hightailed-it-into-canada-somewhere-into-canada-let-me-put/) [Howard Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) [Explore all 14 Howard Norman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/) ## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "“Friendship is provisional, you have to keep earning it, back and forth, give the gift that's only each other's to give”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Howard Norman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-keep-earning-it-back-and-forth/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-keep-earning-it-back-and-forth/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/howard-norman-34147_friendship_friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-ke_1992067.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/howard-norman-34147_friendship_friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-ke_1992067.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/db0/howard-norman-34147_friendship_friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-ke_1992067.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Friendship is provisional, you have to keep earning it, back and forth, give the gift that's only each…” — Howard Norman", "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": "Howard Norman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-norman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“Friendship is provisional, you have to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-keep-earning-it-back-and-forth/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-norman/friendship-is-provisional-you-have-to-keep-earning-it-back-and-forth/#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 } } ] } ```