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Friendship Quote by Mary MacLane

“And it is in New York I have those strangest things of all: human friendships. Not many friendships and not of spent familiarities: for I don't like actual human beings too much around me. But yet friendships made of the edges of thoughts and vivid pathos and pregnant odds and ends of nervous…” quote by Mary MacLane
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““And it is in New York I have those strangest things of all: human friendships. Not many friendships and not of spent familiarities: for I don't like actual human beings too much around me. But yet friendships made of the edges of thoughts and vivid pathos and pregnant odds and ends of nervous human flesh and fire. It is in New York I go to the apartment of a Friend at the end of an afternoon. In the apartment are some persons having tea, men and women. The Friend greets me at the door. She wears maybe a dress of thin dark and light silk, shaped in the quaint outlandish fashion of the hour. And she has shrewd kindly eyes like a Rembrandt portrait, and a worn New-York-ish Latin-ish brain and heart both of which are made of steel, sparkle and the very plain red meat of living. She says, 'Hello-Mary-Mac-Lane,' and clasps my hand, and we exchange a glance of no real understanding at all but suggesting warmed challenge of personality, and an oblique sweet call of depth to depth, and of friendship which by mere force of preference and of our separate quality and calibre is true rather than false. So close and no closer may friendship be. And friendship with-all, is closer than any love. It is the closest human beings ever come to meeting.””

Mary MacLane

About This Quote

Source Literature: Essay “Friendship in New York” by Mary MacLane, 1915

The passage portrays friendship as a complex, intellectual bond that transcends ordinary intimacy, rooted in mutual respect and deep personal resonance.

In simple terms: Friendship is a deep, intellectual connection beyond simple affection.

Key Takeaway

Value thoughtful, authentic connections.

Themes

friendship intimacy individuality city life philosophy

Mood

contemplative melancholic introspective

Type

literary philosophical

When to use this quote

  • attending literary salons
  • building intellectual circles
  • reflecting on personal relationships

Key Concepts

existentialism social dynamics urban solitude

Questions to Reflect On

  • How do you recognize depth in a friendship?
  • What role does city life play in shaping connections?
A Different Perspective

Friendships may lack overt understanding, leading to misinterpretation.

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