--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Today, people often make the American…" description: "\"Today, people often make the American mistake of confusing acquaintances with friends. The former are there to share life's pleasures; only the latter ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/julian-fellowes-2981_acquaintance_today-people-often-make-the-american-mis_3053827.png" --- # Today, people often make the American mistake of confusing… ![“Today, people often make the American mistake of confusing acquaintances with friends. The former are there to share life's pleasures; only the latter should be invited to share one's problems.” quote by Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/julian-fellowes-2981_acquaintance_today-people-often-make-the-american-mis_3053827.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/julian-fellowes-2981_acquaintance_today-people-often-make-the-american-mis_3053827.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c8d/julian-fellowes-2981_acquaintance_today-people-often-make-the-american-mis_3053827.png) > “Today, people often make the American mistake of confusing acquaintances with friends. The former are there to share life's pleasures; only the latter should be invited to share one's problems.” [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Distinguishes casual acquaintances from true friends, urging selective sharing of personal problems. **In simple terms:** Friends are for deep trust, acquaintances for fun. Key Takeaway Share problems only with trusted friends. Themes friendship trust boundaries Mood reflective thoughtful Type advice philosophical When to use this quote - social gatherings - confiding in friends - building trust Key Concepts social dynamics emotional intimacy Questions to Reflect On - Do you keep personal issues from casual contacts? - How do you decide who to confide in? A Different Perspective People may misinterpret closeness, leading to oversharing. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Acquaintance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquaintance/) [Acquaintances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/acquaintances/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friends/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life'S Pleasures](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-s-pleasures/) [Mistake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mistake/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Pleasure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/pleasure/) [Problem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/problem/) [Today](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/today/) ## Related quotes > [People have just assumed that... if we call our Facebook acquaintances our friends, we must be influenced by them, too. But we're not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-a-christakis/people-have-just-assumed-that-if-we-call-our-facebook-acquaintances/) [Nicholas A. Christakis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-a-christakis/) > [our acquaintances—not our friends—are our greatest source of new ideas and information. the internet lets us exploit the power of these kinds of distant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/our-acquaintances-not-our-friends-are-our-greatest-source-of-new/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [“Sometimes there are people in this world that you meet. Most of these people remain just that, passing acquaintances that further down the line…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-williams/sometimes-there-are-people-in-this-world-that-you-meet-most-of-these/) Emily Williams > [There are friends and there are acquaintances. Friends are the people you can depend on, there for you, that you can count on no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/there-are-friends-and-there-are-acquaintances-friends-are-the-people/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Everywhere is nowhere. When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/everywhere-is-nowhere-when-a-person-spends-all-his-time-in-foreign/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [I don't have friends, I have thousands of acquaintances. No friends. I figured I had a wife and children.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bronson/i-don-t-have-friends-i-have-thousands-of-acquaintances-no-friends-i/) [Charles Bronson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bronson/) > [There's a difference between business acquaintances and friends. I consider a friend any time we eat together at the same restaurant, or he's eaten…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roy-nelson/there-s-a-difference-between-business-acquaintances-and-friends-i/) [Roy Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roy-nelson/) > [“When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucius-annaeus-seneca/when-a-person-spends-all-his-time-in-foreign-travel-he-ends-by-having/) [Lucius Annaeus Seneca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucius-annaeus-seneca/) > [We may have many acquaintances, but we can have but few friends; this made Aristotle say that he that hath many friends hath none.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/we-may-have-many-acquaintances-but-we-can-have-but-few-friends-this/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Who is everywhere is nowhere. When a person spends all his time in foreign travel, he ends by having many acquaintances, but no friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/who-is-everywhere-is-nowhere-when-a-person-spends-all-his-time-in/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [Don't mistake acquaintances for friends, acquaintances are the people you know, friends are the people you can depend on to be there for you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rashida-rowe/don-t-mistake-acquaintances-for-friends-acquaintances-are-the-people/) [Rashida Rowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rashida-rowe/) > [I went to high school, which was a good thing because I hadn't interacted with many people my age, and I didn't really have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/macaulay-culkin/i-went-to-high-school-which-was-a-good-thing-because-i-hadn-t/) [Macaulay Culkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/macaulay-culkin/) > [At times I think I actually hate Hollywood. I have many acquaintances there, but few friends...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-kelly/at-times-i-think-i-actually-hate-hollywood-i-have-many-acquaintances/) [Grace Kelly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-kelly/) > [“Because now you are young and beautiful and the whole world loves you. But, some day, you will be old and wrinkled and no-one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/because-now-you-are-young-and-beautiful-and-the-whole-world-loves-you/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [“The free-market economy and globalisation process have brought about, in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century, a sharp and sudden rise in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yaakov-malkin/the-free-market-economy-and-globalisation-process-have-brought-about/) Yaakov Malkin ## More by Julian Fellowes > [You do get fond of your characters. Handing them on is like giving a child to a nanny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/you-do-get-fond-of-your-characters-handing-them-on-is-like-giving-a/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [Well, you've got to be known for something. The danger of extreme versatility is that you don't spring to mind for anything.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/well-you-ve-got-to-be-known-for-something-the-danger-of-extreme/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“The freedom of growing older is that one is no longer obliged to dislike someone simply because they dislike you.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/the-freedom-of-growing-older-is-that-one-is-no-longer-obliged-to/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [If you're supposed to be a 'personality,' then you might as well have a personality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/if-you-re-supposed-to-be-a-personality-then-you-might-as-well-have-a/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [We don't really like rules. We think, in some way, they are an infringement of liberty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/we-don-t-really-like-rules-we-think-in-some-way-they-are-an/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [You see, in America, it's quite standard for an actor to sign, at the beginning of a series, for five or seven years. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/you-see-in-america-it-s-quite-standard-for-an-actor-to-sign-at-the/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“Real unhappiness is ugly and wounding and scarring to the soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/real-unhappiness-is-ugly-and-wounding-and-scarring-to-the-soul/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“The longer one knows people the less relevant it becomes whether or not one liked them initially.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/the-longer-one-knows-people-the-less-relevant-it-becomes-whether-or/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [Sometimes the weekend gets hijacked by work, but as my mother would say, this is the right problem.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/sometimes-the-weekend-gets-hijacked-by-work-but-as-my-mother-would/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [“How many of us, having cried bitter, rancid tears over a failed love, are actually disappointed when we discover, seeing the adored one again,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/how-many-of-us-having-cried-bitter-rancid-tears-over-a-failed-love/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [I like to take a long time over breakfast, and I can't bear to talk. If a guest is a breakfast talker it's very…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/i-like-to-take-a-long-time-over-breakfast-and-i-can-t-bear-to-talk-if/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [I always loved movies and the cinema; we always used to go to see films as a family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/i-always-loved-movies-and-the-cinema-we-always-used-to-go-to-see/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [You know, I'm not a revolutionary.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/you-know-i-m-not-a-revolutionary/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [Nothing is harder to dramatize than happiness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/nothing-is-harder-to-dramatize-than-happiness/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) > [We are usually undone by our lack of understanding of ourselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-fellowes/we-are-usually-undone-by-our-lack-of-understanding-of-ourselves/) [Julian Fellowes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) [Explore all 139 Julian Fellowes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-fellowes/) ## More Acquaintance quotes > [Distrust all those who love you extremely upon a very slight acquaintance and without any visible reason.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/distrust-all-those-who-love-you-extremely-upon-a-very-slight/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Be much alone with God, and take time to get thoroughly acquainted. Converse over everything with Him. Unburden yourself wholly -every thought, feeling, wish,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/horatius-bonar/be-much-alone-with-god-and-take-time-to-get-thoroughly-acquainted/) [Horatius Bonar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/horatius-bonar/) > [The study of history and philosophy, accompanied by some acquaintance with art and literature, should be for lawyers and engineers as well as for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-eagleton/the-study-of-history-and-philosophy-accompanied-by-some-acquaintance/) [Terry Eagleton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-eagleton/) > [The love of new acquaintance comes not so much from being weary of what we had before, or from any satisfaction there is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/the-love-of-new-acquaintance-comes-not-so-much-from-being-weary-of/) [Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/) > [One frequently only finds out how really beautiful a women is, until after considerable acquaintance with her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/one-frequently-only-finds-out-how-really-beautiful-a-women-is-until/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“I'd rather be a nodding acquaintance, than a bobble head”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-stern/i-d-rather-be-a-nodding-acquaintance-than-a-bobble-head/) [Josh Stern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-stern/) > [In addition to my other numerous acquaintances, I have one more intimate confidant… My depression is the most faithful mistress I have known —…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/soren-kierkegaard/in-addition-to-my-other-numerous-acquaintances-i-have-one-more/) [Soren Kierkegaard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/soren-kierkegaard/) > [God is a spirit. Jesus was led up of the Spirit to be tempted of the Devil; and it is also true that spirits…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-bradlaugh/god-is-a-spirit-jesus-was-led-up-of-the-spirit-to-be-tempted-of-the/) [Charles Bradlaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-bradlaugh/) > [ \[On an anarchist acquaintance:\] Everything in appearance the most alarmist aunt could wish. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sylvia-townsend-warner/on-an-anarchist-acquaintance-everything-in-appearance-the-most/) [Sylvia Townsend Warner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sylvia-townsend-warner/) > [There is no such thing as educational value in the abstract. The notion that some subjects and methods and that acquaintance with certain facts…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dewey/there-is-no-such-thing-as-educational-value-in-the-abstract-the/) [John Dewey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dewey/) > [ \[Books\] will visit you at your convenience, whether you are lonesome or not, on rainy days or fair. They propose themselves as either transient… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clifton-fadiman/books-will-visit-you-at-your-convenience-whether-you-are-lonesome-or/) [Clifton Fadiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clifton-fadiman/) > [I'm not dating Prateik; he is just a good acquaintance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amyra-dastur/i-m-not-dating-prateik-he-is-just-a-good-acquaintance/) [Amyra Dastur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amyra-dastur/) > [Moderation is the inseparable companion of wisdom, but with it genius has not even a nodding acquaintance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-caleb-colton/moderation-is-the-inseparable-companion-of-wisdom-but-with-it-genius/) [Charles Caleb Colton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-caleb-colton/) > [The greatest embarrassment of my political career has been that active duties seem to deprive me of time for careful investigation. 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