---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Regard as your most faithful friends, not…"
description: "\"Regard as your most faithful friends, not those who praise everything you say or do, but those who criticize your mistakes.\" — Isocrates"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/isocrates-20066_corrections_regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not_2869684.jpg"
---

#  Regard as your most faithful friends, not those who praise…

![“Regard as your most faithful friends, not those who praise everything you say or do, but those who criticize your mistakes.” quote by Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/isocrates-20066_corrections_regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not_2869684.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/isocrates-20066_corrections_regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not_2869684.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/isocrates-20066_corrections_regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not_2869684.jpg)

> “Regard as your most faithful friends, not those who praise everything you say or do, but those who criticize your mistakes.”

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

## About This Quote

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

True friends are those who offer honest critique, not just praise, fostering growth and integrity.

**In simple terms:** Friends who critique help you improve.

Key Takeaway

Value honest feedback from friends.

Themes

friendship integrity growth

Mood

thoughtful serious

Type

philosophical advice

When to use this quote

- mentor relationships
- team reviews
- personal development

Key Concepts

critical thinking trust self‑improvement

Questions to Reflect On

- How do you differentiate constructive critique?
- What role does praise play in friendships?

A Different Perspective

Some may view criticism as harsh.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Corrections](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corrections/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Faithful](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful/) [Faithful friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/faithful-friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [Praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/praise/) [Trust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trust/)

## Related quotes

> [When good friends praise a gifted person he often appears to be delighted with them out of politeness and goodwill, but in reality he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/when-good-friends-praise-a-gifted-person-he-often-appears-to-be/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [Your friends praise your abilities to the skies, submit to you in argument, and seem to have the greatest deference for you; but, though…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lord-melbourne/your-friends-praise-your-abilities-to-the-skies-submit-to-you-in/)

Lord Melbourne

> [“Leaders create influence with the clays of criticism others throw at them. They don't take offence; they take corrections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/leaders-create-influence-with-the-clays-of-criticism-others-throw-at/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [To become self-educated you should condemn yourself for all those things that you would criticize others.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diogenes/to-become-self-educated-you-should-condemn-yourself-for-all-those/)

[Diogenes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diogenes/)

> [Abhor flatterers as you would deceivers; for both, if trusted, injure those who trust them. If you admit as friends men who seek your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/abhor-flatterers-as-you-would-deceivers-for-both-if-trusted-injure/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [In a multitude of acquaintances is less security, than in one faithful friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herman-melville/in-a-multitude-of-acquaintances-is-less-security-than-in-one-faithful/)

[Herman Melville](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herman-melville/)

> [There are 3 faithful friends, an old wife, an old dog, and ready money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-franklin/there-are-3-faithful-friends-an-old-wife-an-old-dog-and-ready-money/)

[Benjamin Franklin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-franklin/)

> [If there is anything in life in which I take a pardonable pride, it is my friendship for certain old woodsmen and hunters; obscure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archibald-rutledge/if-there-is-anything-in-life-in-which-i-take-a-pardonable-pride-it-is/)

[Archibald Rutledge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archibald-rutledge/)

> [I believe that I am very lucky to have close friends who are faithful. From my friends, I have learned the importance of perseverance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-cameron/i-believe-that-i-am-very-lucky-to-have-close-friends-who-are-faithful/)

[Julia Cameron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-cameron/)

> [“Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing. There are three faithful friends in our life,an old wife,an old dog and ready money.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/poor-richard-s-almanack/be-slow-in-choosing-a-friend-slower-in-changing-there-are-three/)

Poor Richard's Almanack

> [My own soul is my most faithful friend. My own heart, my truest confidant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/babur/my-own-soul-is-my-most-faithful-friend-my-own-heart-my-truest/)

Babur

> [The balm of life, a kind and faithful friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mercy-otis-warren/the-balm-of-life-a-kind-and-faithful-friend/)

[Mercy Otis Warren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mercy-otis-warren/)

> [Our Guardian Angels are our most faithful friends, because they are with us day and night, always and everywhere. We ought often to invoke…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-vianney/our-guardian-angels-are-our-most-faithful-friends-because-they-are/)

[John Vianney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-vianney/)

> [Everyone in the world needs someone they can depend on. Be their faithful friends, determined advocates, or a loving family. But occasionally in life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-alice/everyone-in-the-world-needs-someone-they-can-depend-on-be-their/)

[Mary Alice](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-alice/)

> [Some friends leave footprints in your heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eleanor-roosevelt/some-friends-leave-footprints-in-your-heart/)

[Eleanor Roosevelt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eleanor-roosevelt/)

## More by Isocrates

> [“It was the principle of this Court that deterrent laws, however strict, are useless without positive moral discipline; that the happiness of citizens depends,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/it-was-the-principle-of-this-court-that-deterrent-laws-however-strict/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [We should not call a city happy because it attracts masses of citizens from everywhere; a fortunate city is one in which the race…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/we-should-not-call-a-city-happy-because-it-attracts-masses-of/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [If all who are engaged in the profession of education were willing to state the facts instead of making greater promises than they can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/if-all-who-are-engaged-in-the-profession-of-education-were-willing-to/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [Be gracious to all men, but choose the best to be your friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/be-gracious-to-all-men-but-choose-the-best-to-be-your-friends/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [Oratory is good only if it has the qualities of fitness for the occasion, propriety of style, and originality of treatment, while in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/oratory-is-good-only-if-it-has-the-qualities-of-fitness-for-the/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [Consider that nothing in human life is stable; for then you will not exult overmuch in prosperity, nor grieve overmuch in adversity. Rejoice over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/consider-that-nothing-in-human-life-is-stable-for-then-you-will-not/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [“Their successors, instead of ruling for the good of their subjects, tyrannize for their own; and they met with the fate of tyrants. No…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/their-successors-instead-of-ruling-for-the-good-of-their-subjects/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [Let there be but two occasions for speech - when the subject is one which you thoroughly know and when it is one on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/let-there-be-but-two-occasions-for-speech-when-the-subject-is-one/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [Whetstones are not themselves able to cut, but make iron sharp and capable of cutting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/whetstones-are-not-themselves-able-to-cut-but-make-iron-sharp-and/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [And let no one suppose that I claim that just living can be taught for, in a word, I hold that there does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/and-let-no-one-suppose-that-i-claim-that-just-living-can-be-taught/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [“Whom, then, do I call educated, since I exclude the arts and sciences and specialties? First, those who manage well the circumstances which they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/whom-then-do-i-call-educated-since-i-exclude-the-arts-and-sciences/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [It is not fitting that the evil produced by men should be imputed to things; let those bear the blame who make an ill…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/it-is-not-fitting-that-the-evil-produced-by-men-should-be-imputed-to/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [So far has Athens left the rest of mankind behind in thought and expression that her pupils have become the teachers of the world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/so-far-has-athens-left-the-rest-of-mankind-behind-in-thought-and/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [“It is up-hill work to oppose our prejudices; we have a democracy, but freedom of speech is enjoyed only by the most foolish members…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/it-is-up-hill-work-to-oppose-our-prejudices-we-have-a-democracy-but/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

> [“Absolute power is universally coveted, though all know that an absolute ruler has an anxious life and usually a violent death.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/absolute-power-is-universally-coveted-though-all-know-that-an/)

[Isocrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

[Explore all 31 Isocrates quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/)

## More Corrections quotes

> [Approval is a greater motivator than disapproval, but we have to disapprove on occasion when we correct. It’s necessary. I make corrections only after…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/approval-is-a-greater-motivator-than-disapproval-but-we-have-to/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [“Leaders spend time reviewing their mistakes rather than having fantasies over their achievements! They look for every way to do the undone!”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/leaders-spend-time-reviewing-their-mistakes-rather-than-having/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [Most people think that aging is irreversible and we know that there are mechanisms even in the human machinery that allow for the reversal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/most-people-think-that-aging-is-irreversible-and-we-know-that-there/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [“An ambitious freshman congresswoman demanded funding to put a public historian in every zip code in the country, a correction for what she called…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-evans/an-ambitious-freshman-congresswoman-demanded-funding-to-put-a-public/)

[Danielle Evans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-evans/)

> [Prices are going up. Unemployment is continue to go up. And we have not had the necessary correction for the financial bubble created by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ron-paul/prices-are-going-up-unemployment-is-continue-to-go-up-and-we-have-not/)

[Ron Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ron-paul/)

> [People who have a seeking heart still make mistakes. But their reaction to rebuke and correction shows the condition of that heart. It determines…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cymbala/people-who-have-a-seeking-heart-still-make-mistakes-but-their/)

[Jim Cymbala](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cymbala/)

> [In this world, the optimists have it, not because they are always right, but because they are positive. Even when they are wrong they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-landes/in-this-world-the-optimists-have-it-not-because-they-are-always-right/)

[David Landes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-landes/)

> [“Leaders create influence with the clays of criticism others throw at them. They don't take offence; they take corrections.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/leaders-create-influence-with-the-clays-of-criticism-others-throw-at/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [The problem with literature, with writing, is that it works sometimes in terms of correction of social ills. Other times, it just does not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wole-soyinka/the-problem-with-literature-with-writing-is-that-it-works-sometimes/)

[Wole Soyinka](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wole-soyinka/)

> [Reprehension is a kind of middle thing betwixt admonition and correction: it is sharpe admonition, but a milde correction. It is rather to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gouge/reprehension-is-a-kind-of-middle-thing-betwixt-admonition-and/)

[William Gouge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gouge/)

> [“Stop blaming other people for your mistakes. Until you are ready to admit that you are infallible, you are vulnerable for failure to whip.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/stop-blaming-other-people-for-your-mistakes-until-you-are-ready-to/)

[Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/)

> [Everyone says, 'Oh, it's hard because she's older.' But at the same time, I feel like I know how to make corrections faster, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mykayla-skinner/everyone-says-oh-it-s-hard-because-she-s-older-but-at-the-same-time-i/)

[MyKayla Skinner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mykayla-skinner/)

> [This is following through on the market correction and a lot of mixed emotions, ... We had players who were with us in '03…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-beinfest/this-is-following-through-on-the-market-correction-and-a-lot-of-mixed/)

Larry Beinfest

> [To be pleased at correction and reproofs shows that one loves the virtues which are contrary to those faults for which he is corrected…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/saint-francis-de-sales/to-be-pleased-at-correction-and-reproofs-shows-that-one-loves-the/)

[Saint Francis de Sales](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/saint-francis-de-sales/)

> [There is never finality in the display terminal's screen, but an irresponsible whimsicality, as words, sentences, and paragraphs are negated at the touch of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-cockburn/there-is-never-finality-in-the-display-terminal-s-screen-but-an/)

[Alexander Cockburn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-cockburn/)

[Browse all 206 Corrections quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/corrections/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Regard as your most faithful friends, not those who praise everything you say or do, but those who criticize your mistakes.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Isocrates"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not-those-who-praise-everything/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Corrections"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not-those-who-praise-everything/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/isocrates-20066_corrections_regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not_2869684.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/isocrates-20066_corrections_regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not_2869684.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ea0/isocrates-20066_corrections_regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not_2869684.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Regard as your most faithful friends, not those who praise everything you say or do, but those who criticize…” — Isocrates",
                "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": "Isocrates",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isocrates/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Regard as your most faithful friends,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not-those-who-praise-everything/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isocrates/regard-as-your-most-faithful-friends-not-those-who-praise-everything/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
