--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And that is the beautiful thing about…" description: "\"“And that is the beautiful thing about friendship: we can take liberties, we can show our frailer side, we can afford the vast luxury of giving way to ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/sydney-j-harris-1578_anger_and-that-is-the-beautiful-thing-about-fr_1647249.png" --- # And that is the beautiful thing about friendship: we can… ![“And that is the beautiful thing about friendship: we can take liberties, we can show our frailer side, we can afford the vast luxury of giving way to our boredom when we are bored, our anger when we are angry, our peckishness when we feel downhearted.” quote by Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/sydney-j-harris-1578_anger_and-that-is-the-beautiful-thing-about-fr_1647249.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/sydney-j-harris-1578_anger_and-that-is-the-beautiful-thing-about-fr_1647249.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/685/sydney-j-harris-1578_anger_and-that-is-the-beautiful-thing-about-fr_1647249.png) > ““And that is the beautiful thing about friendship: we can take liberties, we can show our frailer side, we can afford the vast luxury of giving way to our boredom when we are bored, our anger when we are angry, our peckishness when we feel downhearted.”” [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Friendship allows vulnerability, honesty, and shared boredom, enriching human connection. **In simple terms:** Friends let us be our true selves. Key Takeaway Nurture honest friendships. Themes friendship vulnerability honesty Mood warm intimate Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - confiding in a friend - group activities - support during low moods Key Concepts social intimacy emotional safety Questions to Reflect On - When did a friend accept your flaws? - How does shared boredom strengthen bonds? A Different Perspective Friends may sometimes be unreliable. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) [Bored Anger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored-anger-618239/) [Feel Downhearted](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/feel-downhearted-618238/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Friendship Liberties](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship-liberties-618237/) [Thing Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thing-friendship-486854/) ## Related quotes > [That's the thing about friendship, it's a lot rarer than love, because there is nothing in it for any body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/owen-wilson/that-s-the-thing-about-friendship-it-s-a-lot-rarer-than-love-because/) [Owen Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/owen-wilson/) > [You put every thing into a friendship And yet some people us you and leave you Those people are not worth Your amazing friendship…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-thomas-webb/you-put-every-thing-into-a-friendship-and-yet-some-people-us-you-and/) [Emily Thomas-Webb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-thomas-webb/) > [The weirdest thing about friendship is being together since childhood bt not realizing that u actually like the person until he's departed from you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalyn/the-weirdest-thing-about-friendship-is-being-together-since-childhood/) [Magdalyn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalyn/) > [“Harry Burns: You realize of course that we could never be friends. Sally Albright: Why not? Harry Burns: What I'm saying is - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-ephron/harry-burns-you-realize-of-course-that-we-could-never-be-friends/) [Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-ephron/) > [We should thank God that He did not give us the power of hearing through walls; otherwise there would be no such thing as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/austin-o-malley/we-should-thank-god-that-he-did-not-give-us-the-power-of-hearing/) [Austin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/austin-o-malley/) > [I know you can buy all the things that you want because youre so perfectly rich. But from that all, you cant buy just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orebela-gbenga/i-know-you-can-buy-all-the-things-that-you-want-because-youre-so/) [Orebela Gbenga](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orebela-gbenga/) > [That's the cool thing about friendship - it gets to have all these different iterations and you never have to break up if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eva-victor/that-s-the-cool-thing-about-friendship-it-gets-to-have-all-these/) [Eva Victor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eva-victor/) > [Human beings are born into this little span of life of which the best thing is its friendship and intimacies, and soon their places…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/human-beings-are-born-into-this-little-span-of-life-of-which-the-best-2/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [“Besides, if Hans came here, he might ask me to let him have some flour on credit, and that I could not do. Flour…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/besides-if-hans-came-here-he-might-ask-me-to-let-him-have-some-flour/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [I knew I wanted to write about female friendship. I've got a few friends I've known since we were teenagers, who have spanned the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ruth-jones/i-knew-i-wanted-to-write-about-female-friendship-i-ve-got-a-few/) [Ruth Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ruth-jones/) > [“That’s the best thing about friendship. It is a gift that cannot be lost. Only thrown away.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-e-knight/that-s-the-best-thing-about-friendship-it-is-a-gift-that-cannot-be/) [E.E. Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-e-knight/) > [Comradeship is quite a different thing from friendship. . .](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/comradeship-is-quite-a-different-thing-from-friendship/) [Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/) > [What a thing friendship is - World without end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/what-a-thing-friendship-is-world-without-end/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [Never forget that God is your friend. And like all friends, He longs to hear what's been happening in your life. Good or bad,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nicholas-sparks/never-forget-that-god-is-your-friend-and-like-all-friends-he-longs-to/) [Nicholas Sparks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nicholas-sparks/) > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) ## More by Sydney J. Harris > [This is a lesson mankind has not yet learned. We identify, and stratify, and treat persons largely on the basis of their accidental (physical)…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/this-is-a-lesson-mankind-has-not-yet-learned-we-identify-and-stratify/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Character is something you forge for yourself; temperament is something you are born with and can only slightly modify.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/character-is-something-you-forge-for-yourself-temperament-is/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Middle Age is that perplexing time of life when we hear two voices calling us, one saying, 'Why not?' and the other, 'Why bother?'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/middle-age-is-that-perplexing-time-of-life-when-we-hear-two-voices/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [The profound immoralities of our time are cruelty, indifference, injustice and the use of others as means rather than ends in themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-profound-immoralities-of-our-time-are-cruelty-indifference/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Marriages we regard as the happiest are those in which each of the partners believes he or she got the best of it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/marriages-we-regard-as-the-happiest-are-those-in-which-each-of-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“...it calls for deciding things on their own merit, not because you read it or were told it or grew up believing it.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/it-calls-for-deciding-things-on-their-own-merit-not-because-you-read/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Ignorance per se is not nearly as dangerous as ignorance of ignorance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/ignorance-per-se-is-not-nearly-as-dangerous-as-ignorance-of-ignorance/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Patriotism is proud of a country's virtues and eager to correct its deficiencies; it also acknowledges the legitimate patriotism of other countries, with their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/patriotism-is-proud-of-a-country-s-virtues-and-eager-to-correct-its/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [A cynic is not merely one who reads bitter lessons from the past, his is also one who is permanently disappointed in the future.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/a-cynic-is-not-merely-one-who-reads-bitter-lessons-from-the-past-his/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Time is love, above all else. It is the most precious commodity in the world and should be lavished on those we care most…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/time-is-love-above-all-else-it-is-the-most-precious-commodity-in-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Just about the only interruption we don't object to is applause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/just-about-the-only-interruption-we-don-t-object-to-is-applause/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“The cynic is goodhearted beneath his facade, whereas the sentimentalist is flint-hearted beneath his.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/the-cynic-is-goodhearted-beneath-his-facade-whereas-the/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Any philosophy that can be put in a nutshell belongs there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/any-philosophy-that-can-be-put-in-a-nutshell-belongs-there/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [“Like all persecuted minority groups, they strike back by forming cabals, by “taking over” certain spheres of activity (in the arts, for instance), and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/like-all-persecuted-minority-groups-they-strike-back-by-forming/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) > [Intolerance is the most socially acceptable form of egotism, for it permits us to assume superiority without personal boasting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sydney-j-harris/intolerance-is-the-most-socially-acceptable-form-of-egotism-for-it/) [Sydney J. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) [Explore all 226 Sydney J. Harris quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sydney-j-harris/) ## More Anger quotes > [“If I let myself think of it the pain and anger were still fresh, adrenalin racing down my limbs to pool, hot and itchy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kylie-ladd/if-i-let-myself-think-of-it-the-pain-and-anger-were-still-fresh/) [Kylie Ladd](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kylie-ladd/) > [I receive something we might euphemistically call an 'inappropriately hostile' response - that is to say, more than fair criticism or even fair anger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-beard/i-receive-something-we-might-euphemistically-call-an-inappropriately/) [Mary Beard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-beard/) > [The vision of the left, full of envy and resentment, takes its worst toll on those at the bottom - whether black or white…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-sowell/the-vision-of-the-left-full-of-envy-and-resentment-takes-its-worst/) [Thomas Sowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-sowell/) > [Anger is a rough water; if you can canalize it into a water mill, you can benefit from it. Anything bad can be transformed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/anger-is-a-rough-water-if-you-can-canalize-it-into-a-water-mill-you/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [“Some say the Earth is angry Because he wants no company; I say the Earth is angry Because he lives alone.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-k-jemisin/some-say-the-earth-is-angry-because-he-wants-no-company-i-say-the/) [N.K. Jemisin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-k-jemisin/) > [“When you feel terribly angry, you're possessed by anger ghost.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/when-you-feel-terribly-angry-you-re-possessed-by-anger-ghost/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“Medical studies have shown that cursing reduces levels of stress and pain. Repressing your anger is not healthy. It's much better to verbalize it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-markus-malloy/medical-studies-have-shown-that-cursing-reduces-levels-of-stress-and/) [Oliver Markus Malloy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-markus-malloy/) > [My care will be in the heart n not in words My anger will be in Words n not in the Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/my-care-will-be-in-the-heart-n-not-in-words-my-anger-will-be-in-words/) [Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/) > [You should be angry. You must not be bitter. Bitterness is like cancer. It eats upon the host. It doesn't do anything to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maya-angelou/you-should-be-angry-you-must-not-be-bitter-bitterness-is-like-cancer/) [Maya Angelou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maya-angelou/) > [To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/to-be-a-negro-in-this-country-and-to-be-relatively-conscious-is-to-be/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The present contains nothing more than the past, and what is found in the effect was already in the cause.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henri-bergson/the-present-contains-nothing-more-than-the-past-and-what-is-found-in/) [Henri Bergson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henri-bergson/) > [Depression is merely anger without enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-wright/depression-is-merely-anger-without-enthusiasm/) [Steven Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-wright/) > [I always fight better when my opponent's angry.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-haye/i-always-fight-better-when-my-opponent-s-angry/) [David Haye](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-haye/) > [ “Where there are kashays (anger-pride-deceit-greed), there is worldly life. As long as anger-pride-deceit-greed exist; one is a sansaari \[living a worldly life\] regardless of… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dada-bhagwan/where-there-are-kashays-anger-pride-deceit-greed-there-is-worldly/) [Dada Bhagwan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dada-bhagwan/) [Browse all 7,469 Anger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/anger/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And that is the beautiful thing about friendship: we can take liberties, we can show our frailer side, we can afford the vast luxury of giving way to our boredom when we are bored, our anger when we are angry, our peckishness when we feel downhearted.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sydney J. 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