--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every…" description: "\"Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless name the friend.\" — Samuel Johnson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/samuel-johnson-50_friend_officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-frie_2357917.png" --- # Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless name the… ![“Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless name the friend.” quote by Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/samuel-johnson-50_friend_officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-frie_2357917.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/samuel-johnson-50_friend_officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-frie_2357917.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/samuel-johnson-50_friend_officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-frie_2357917.png) > “Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless name the friend.” [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Even in solitude, one can embody virtues of honesty and innocence. **In simple terms:** Friendship is found in character, not names. Key Takeaway Seek virtue over social labels. Themes friendship virtue solitude Mood contemplative melancholic Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - loneliness - self‑reflection - building trust - personal growth Key Concepts moral philosophy human nature Questions to Reflect On - What qualities define a true friend? - Can solitude teach us about friendship? A Different Perspective Virtue alone may not replace genuine companionship. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Sincere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sincere/) [Truth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/truth/) ## Related quotes > [There is no man so friendless but that he can find a friend sincere enough to tell him disagreeable truths.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/there-is-no-man-so-friendless-but-that-he-can-find-a-friend-sincere/) [Edward Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Baron Lytton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-bulwer-lytton-1st-baron-lytton/) > [A man may be very sincere in good principles, without having good practice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/a-man-may-be-very-sincere-in-good-principles-without-having-good/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“Lust? I have no desire to incite lust in anyone." Veliss turned to her with a quizzical expression, her smile suddenly genuine. "Then I'm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-ryan/lust-i-have-no-desire-to-incite-lust-in-anyone-veliss-turned-to-her/) [Anthony Ryan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-ryan/) > [Poem by Howard A. Walter (Character) I would be true, for there are those who trust me; I would be pure, for there are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-c-maxwell/poem-by-howard-a-walter-character-i-would-be-true-for-there-are-those/) [John C. Maxwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-c-maxwell/) > [Don't you worry about that, Mr. Adamsson. Why don't you head back to Reykjavik and spend some of that extortionate fee you charged me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eoin-colfer/don-t-you-worry-about-that-mr-adamsson-why-don-t-you-head-back-to/) [Eoin Colfer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eoin-colfer/) > [Would you rather be a friendless loser with self confidence or a popular person with low self-esteem?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/would-you-rather-be-a-friendless-loser-with-self-confidence-or-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“...anyone looking for friends without faults shall remain friendless. The choice is yours.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/holly-lynn-payne/anyone-looking-for-friends-without-faults-shall-remain-friendless-the/) [Holly Lynn Payne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/holly-lynn-payne/) > [We're chipping away at our capacity for wonder. When hologram TVs eventually go on sale, they'll cost £20,000 and be bought only by those…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-baynham/we-re-chipping-away-at-our-capacity-for-wonder-when-hologram-tvs/) [Peter Baynham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-baynham/) > [He who is great must make humility his base. He who is high must make lowliness his foundation. Thus, princes and kings in speaking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laozi/he-who-is-great-must-make-humility-his-base-he-who-is-high-must-make/) [Laozi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laozi/) > [“No person can ever be called friendless for he has the company of books.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i-r-shankar/no-person-can-ever-be-called-friendless-for-he-has-the-company-of/) I.R. Shankar > [I would rather be friendless than been lied to by fake friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosie-wishick/i-would-rather-be-friendless-than-been-lied-to-by-fake-friends/) Rosie Wishick > [“Because if I'm weird And ostracized and friendless It's not personal.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-prendergast/because-if-i-m-weird-and-ostracized-and-friendless-it-s-not-personal/) Gabrielle Prendergast > [“Bright and wild like fire. Ha. Friendless and alone like a pathetic loser was more like it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-peter-hughes/bright-and-wild-like-fire-ha-friendless-and-alone-like-a-pathetic/) [Mark Peter Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-peter-hughes/) > [“Loneliness wasn't just a state of mind, was it? It was tactile. She could feel it. It was a sixth sense, not in some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-wolfe/loneliness-wasn-t-just-a-state-of-mind-was-it-it-was-tactile-she/) [Tom Wolfe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-wolfe/) > [“It is easy to criticize the antisocial, but hard to get close to know what keeps them at bay.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-bassey-johnson/it-is-easy-to-criticize-the-antisocial-but-hard-to-get-close-to-know/) [Michael Bassey Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-bassey-johnson/) ## More by Samuel Johnson > [The size of a man's understanding might always be justly measured by his mirth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-size-of-a-man-s-understanding-might-always-be-justly-measured-by/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Pound St. Paul's Church into atoms, and consider any single atom; it is to be sure, good for nothing; but put all these atoms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/pound-st-paul-s-church-into-atoms-and-consider-any-single-atom-it-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [You can never be wise unless you love reading.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/you-can-never-be-wise-unless-you-love-reading/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [If our aim is to praise, we should forget to criticize; if our aim is to criticize, we should remember to praise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/if-our-aim-is-to-praise-we-should-forget-to-criticize-if-our-aim-is/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [All theory is against free will; all experience is for it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/all-theory-is-against-free-will-all-experience-is-for-it/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Had I learned to fiddle, I should have done nothing else.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/had-i-learned-to-fiddle-i-should-have-done-nothing-else/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [It is as foolish to make experiments upon the constancy of a friend, as upon the chastity of a wife.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/it-is-as-foolish-to-make-experiments-upon-the-constancy-of-a-friend/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Resolve not to be poor: whatever you have, spend less. Poverty is a great enemy to human happiness; it certainly destroys liberty, and it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/resolve-not-to-be-poor-whatever-you-have-spend-less-poverty-is-a/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The basis of all excellence is truth: he that professes love ought to feel its power.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-basis-of-all-excellence-is-truth-he-that-professes-love-ought-to/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Words are daughters of earth but ideas are sons of heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/words-are-daughters-of-earth-but-ideas-are-sons-of-heaven/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The composition of Shakespeare is a forest, in which oaks extend in the air, interspersed sometimes with weeds and brambles, and sometimes giving shelting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-composition-of-shakespeare-is-a-forest-in-which-oaks-extend-in/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [“The cherubim were never intended as an object of worship, because they were only the appendices to another thing. But a thing is then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-cherubim-were-never-intended-as-an-object-of-worship-because-they/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [Nobody has the right to put another under such a difficulty that he must either hurt the person by telling the truth or hurt…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/nobody-has-the-right-to-put-another-under-such-a-difficulty-that-he/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [That kind of life is most happy which affords us most opportunities of gaining our own self-esteem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/that-kind-of-life-is-most-happy-which-affords-us-most-opportunities/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [The time will come to every human being when it must be known how well he can bear to die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/the-time-will-come-to-every-human-being-when-it-must-be-known-how/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) [Explore all 1,998 Samuel Johnson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) ## 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 > [“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 > [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 > [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": "Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless name the friend.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Samuel Johnson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-friendless-name-the-friend/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-friendless-name-the-friend/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/samuel-johnson-50_friend_officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-frie_2357917.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/samuel-johnson-50_friend_officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-frie_2357917.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e5/samuel-johnson-50_friend_officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-frie_2357917.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless name the friend.” — Samuel Johnson", "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": "Samuel Johnson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Officious, innocent, sincere, Of every friendless...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-friendless-name-the-friend/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/officious-innocent-sincere-of-every-friendless-name-the-friend/#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 } } ] } ```