--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He who throws away a friend is as bad as…" description: "\"He who throws away a friend is as bad as he who throws away his life.\" — Sophocles" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/sophocles-370_friend_he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as_2835083.png" --- # He who throws away a friend is as bad as he who throws… ![“He who throws away a friend is as bad as he who throws away his life.” quote by Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/sophocles-370_friend_he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as_2835083.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/sophocles-370_friend_he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as_2835083.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/sophocles-370_friend_he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as_2835083.png) > “He who throws away a friend is as bad as he who throws away his life.” [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Abandoning a friend is as grave as ending one’s own life, highlighting the value of friendship. **In simple terms:** Losing a friend is as serious as losing life. Key Takeaway Cherish friendships deeply. Themes friendship value loss loyalty Mood melancholy thoughtful Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - end of a friendship - betrayal - life decisions Key Concepts human relationships ethical choices personal priorities Questions to Reflect On - Why is friendship equated with life? - How do we honor friendships? A Different Perspective The comparison may seem hyperbolic. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) ## Related quotes > [“Who throws away a friend throws away much of his soul.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/idwal-jones/who-throws-away-a-friend-throws-away-much-of-his-soul/) Idwal Jones > [One day, the infielders were having a pretty bad time and were making some bad throws to me at first base. After digging a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johnny-mize/one-day-the-infielders-were-having-a-pretty-bad-time-and-were-making/) Johnny Mize > [“it is not just that man be given what he throws away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dante-alighieri/it-is-not-just-that-man-be-given-what-he-throws-away/) [Dante Alighieri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dante-alighieri/) > [For to cast away a virtuous friend, I call as bad as to cast away one's own life, which one loves best.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-to-cast-away-a-virtuous-friend-i-call-as-bad-as-to-cast-away-one/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [I was a man before I was a king, and no true man walks away when a friend needs him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gemmell/i-was-a-man-before-i-was-a-king-and-no-true-man-walks-away-when-a/) [David Gemmell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gemmell/) > [“Send a letter to a far away friend, All you need is paper and a pen”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-j-forde/send-a-letter-to-a-far-away-friend-all-you-need-is-paper-and-a-pen/) [Charmaine J Forde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-j-forde/) > [He who neglects the present moment throws away all he has.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-schiller/he-who-neglects-the-present-moment-throws-away-all-he-has/) [Friedrich Schiller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-schiller/) > [What the young one begs for, the grown-up throws away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russian-proverb/what-the-young-one-begs-for-the-grown-up-throws-away/) Russian Proverb > [Memory is a crazy woman who hoards colored rags and throws away food.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/memory-is-a-crazy-woman-who-hoards-colored-rags-and-throws-away-food/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [That one shampoo bottle that's always empty in your shower yet nobody throws it away](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/that-one-shampoo-bottle-that-s-always-empty-in-your-shower-yet-nobody/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [If a man does away with his traditional way of living and throws away his good customs, he had better first make certain that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-ruark/if-a-man-does-away-with-his-traditional-way-of-living-and-throws-away/) [Robert Ruark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-ruark/) > [Brahms once remarked that the mark of an artist is how much he throws away. Nature, the great creator, is always throwing things away.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-nachmanovitch/brahms-once-remarked-that-the-mark-of-an-artist-is-how-much-he-throws/) [Stephen Nachmanovitch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-nachmanovitch/) > [Sir, he throws away his money without thought and without merit. I do not call a tree generous that sheds its fruit at every…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-johnson/sir-he-throws-away-his-money-without-thought-and-without-merit-i-do/) [Samuel Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samuel-johnson/) > [By a lie a man throws away and, as it were, annihilates his dignity as a man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/immanuel-kant/by-a-lie-a-man-throws-away-and-as-it-were-annihilates-his-dignity-as/) [Immanuel Kant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/immanuel-kant/) > [“Memory is a crazy woman that hoards colored rags and throws away food.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/memory-is-a-crazy-woman-that-hoards-colored-rags-and-throws-away-food/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) ## More by Sophocles > [Those whose life is long still strive for gain, and for all mortals all things take second place to money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/those-whose-life-is-long-still-strive-for-gain-and-for-all-mortals/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [God's dice always have a lucky roll.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/god-s-dice-always-have-a-lucky-roll/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fool cannot be an actor, though an actor may act a fool's part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fool-cannot-be-an-actor-though-an-actor-may-act-a-fool-s-part/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how foolish your deeds, those who love you will love you still.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/go-then-if-you-must-but-remember-no-matter-how-foolish-your-deeds/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Man's worst ill is stubbornness of heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/man-s-worst-ill-is-stubbornness-of-heart/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A lie never lives to be old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-lie-never-lives-to-be-old/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [How dangerous can false reasoning prove!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/how-dangerous-can-false-reasoning-prove/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [Why should man fear since chance is all in all for him, and he can clearly foreknow nothing? Best to live lightly, as one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/why-should-man-fear-since-chance-is-all-in-all-for-him-and-he-can/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“But life takes sudden twists.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/but-life-takes-sudden-twists/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [When ice appears out of doors, and boys seize it up while it is solid, at first they experience new pleasures. But in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/when-ice-appears-out-of-doors-and-boys-seize-it-up-while-it-is-solid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [For God hates utterly the bray of bragging tongues.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/for-god-hates-utterly-the-bray-of-bragging-tongues/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“I have nothing but contempt for the kind of governor who is afraid, for whatever reason, to follow the course that he knows is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/i-have-nothing-but-contempt-for-the-kind-of-governor-who-is-afraid/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“Not from Hades' black and universal lake can you lift him. Not by groaning, not by prayers. Yet you run yourself out in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/not-from-hades-black-and-universal-lake-can-you-lift-him-not-by/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [A fearful man is always hearing things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/a-fearful-man-is-always-hearing-things/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [There is a point at which even justice does injury.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/there-is-a-point-at-which-even-justice-does-injury/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) [Explore all 621 Sophocles quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) ## 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": "He who throws away a friend is as bad as he who throws away his life.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sophocles" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as-he-who-throws-away-his-life/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as-he-who-throws-away-his-life/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/sophocles-370_friend_he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as_2835083.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/sophocles-370_friend_he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as_2835083.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/488/sophocles-370_friend_he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as_2835083.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He who throws away a friend is as bad as he who throws away his life.” — Sophocles", "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": "Sophocles", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He who throws away a friend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as-he-who-throws-away-his-life/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/he-who-throws-away-a-friend-is-as-bad-as-he-who-throws-away-his-life/#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 } } ] } ```