---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Sometimes I wonder if a friendship in…"
description: "\"“Sometimes I wonder if a friendship in which the common ground is all that is bad about each person is a friendship worth having.”\" — Thomas Beller"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/thomas-beller-108750_common-ground_sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-wh_178509.jpg"
---

#  Sometimes I wonder if a friendship in which the common…

![“Sometimes I wonder if a friendship in which the common ground is all that is bad about each person is a friendship worth having.” quote by Thomas Beller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/thomas-beller-108750_common-ground_sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-wh_178509.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/thomas-beller-108750_common-ground_sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-wh_178509.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/thomas-beller-108750_common-ground_sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-wh_178509.jpg)

> ““Sometimes I wonder if a friendship in which the common ground is all that is bad about each person is a friendship worth having.””

Thomas Beller

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

A friendship built only on negative traits may lack genuine connection and worth.

**In simple terms:** Friendships based on flaws may not be valuable.

Key Takeaway

Seek friendships with shared strengths.

Themes

friendship common ground values self‑reflection relationships

Mood

thoughtful analytical skeptical

Type

philosophical reflective

When to use this quote

- personal counseling
- team building
- social networking

Key Concepts

Depth of connection self‑awareness quality of bonds

Questions to Reflect On

- What qualities do you value in friends?
- Can flaws become strengths?

A Different Perspective

Focusing on negatives can prevent growth.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Common ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-ground/) [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/)

## Related quotes

> [I see love developing from friendship. Common ground is a strong basis for friendship. My husband is my best friend and we have a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/veronica-roth/i-see-love-developing-from-friendship-common-ground-is-a-strong-basis/)

[Veronica Roth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/veronica-roth/)

> [“I wonder if I should back off from our friendship sometimes, to make sure she's kept at arm's length.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-elkeles/i-wonder-if-i-should-back-off-from-our-friendship-sometimes-to-make/)

[Simone Elkeles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-elkeles/)

> [Friendship is a common belief in the same fallacies, mountebanks and hobgoblins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/friendship-is-a-common-belief-in-the-same-fallacies-mountebanks-and/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [There is no stronger bond of friendship than a common enemy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-frankfort-moore/there-is-no-stronger-bond-of-friendship-than-a-common-enemy/)

[Frank Frankfort Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-frankfort-moore/)

> [Bjork is one of my oldest friends so we share the friendship and common roots. That is what we build on when we work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sjon/bjork-is-one-of-my-oldest-friends-so-we-share-the-friendship-and/)

[Sjon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sjon/)

> [A friendship doesn't see poor,rich,black,white,tall or short in a person..friendship comes from deep of the heart not by caste,racialism,color and status!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhishek-tiwari/a-friendship-doesn-t-see-poor-rich-black-white-tall-or-short-in-a/)

[Abhishek Tiwari](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhishek-tiwari/)

> [Friendship is two-sided. It isn't a friend just because someone's doing something nice for you. That's a nice person. There's friendship when you do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-wooden/friendship-is-two-sided-it-isn-t-a-friend-just-because-someone-s/)

[John Wooden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-wooden/)

> [I think friendship is the only correct way to help others. Love on the other side doesn't let you be free because you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-think-friendship-is-the-only-correct-way-to-help-others-love-on-the/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [When a friendship is born, there is no certificate of proof. There is just a feeling inside that your life has changed and you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/when-a-friendship-is-born-there-is-no-certificate-of-proof-there-is/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“Aelred writes that true Christian friendship begins with two people who are drawn to some quality of holiness or virtue they see in each…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-j-chaput/aelred-writes-that-true-christian-friendship-begins-with-two-people/)

[Charles J. Chaput](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-j-chaput/)

> [Ponder for a long time whether you shall admit a given person to your friendship; but when you have decided to admit him, welcome…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/ponder-for-a-long-time-whether-you-shall-admit-a-given-person-to-your/)

[Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/)

> [A broken friendship can be a comma or full stop you chooce If the other person in the friendship is worth it then the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sweetangelunknown/a-broken-friendship-can-be-a-comma-or-full-stop-you-chooce-if-the/)

SweetangelUnknown

> [True friendship is worth more than can be measured, a quality forever to be treasured. True friends will staunchly stand beside each other, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cecilia-dart-thornton/true-friendship-is-worth-more-than-can-be-measured-a-quality-forever/)

[Cecilia Dart-Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cecilia-dart-thornton/)

> [FRIENDSHIP IS WORTH ALOT, DONT GET CURRY AWAY AND RUIN IT.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/friendship-is-worth-alot-dont-get-curry-away-and-ruin-it/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The corpse of friendship is not worth embalming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-hazlitt/the-corpse-of-friendship-is-not-worth-embalming/)

[William Hazlitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-hazlitt/)

## More by Thomas Beller

> [“Having contact sheets for all sorts of episodes in your life seemed to me intriguing and desirable. So much of my own history is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beller/having-contact-sheets-for-all-sorts-of-episodes-in-your-life-seemed/)

Thomas Beller

Explore all 2 Thomas Beller quotes

## More Common ground quotes

> [I have tried to treat people on the other side civilly and look for common ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-klobuchar/i-have-tried-to-treat-people-on-the-other-side-civilly-and-look-for/)

[Amy Klobuchar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-klobuchar/)

> [“Equality of condition and equality of opportunity must provide the foundation of an interdependent nation with building blocks found in dignity and respect given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-banks-lewis/equality-of-condition-and-equality-of-opportunity-must-provide-the/)

Julie Banks Lewis

> [I could fight with the living but I could not fight the dead. If there was some woman in London that Maxim loved, someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daphne-du-maurier/i-could-fight-with-the-living-but-i-could-not-fight-the-dead-if-there/)

[Daphne du Maurier](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daphne-du-maurier/)

> [But when we're helping children understand how people from different walks of life can coexist, prioritizing common ground too often obscures or erases uncommon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meena-harris/but-when-we-re-helping-children-understand-how-people-from-different/)

[Meena Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meena-harris/)

> [People wonder why a man and woman can't be friends after being in love. It is because it's very tough to look beyond the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/people-wonder-why-a-man-and-woman-can-t-be-friends-after-being-in/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Dealing with Congress is a matter of give and take. The president doesn't get everything he wants, the Congress doesn't get everything they want.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-w-bush/dealing-with-congress-is-a-matter-of-give-and-take-the-president/)

[George W. Bush](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-w-bush/)

> [“The difference between the student radicals and the Hell's Angels is that the students are rebelling against the past, while the Angels are fighting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hunter-s-thompson/the-difference-between-the-student-radicals-and-the-hell-s-angels-is/)

[Hunter S. Thompson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hunter-s-thompson/)

> [“Who knows what goes on in a marriage? Even my parents, who had a compatible marriage, had their points of contention. They had figured…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ranjani-rao/who-knows-what-goes-on-in-a-marriage-even-my-parents-who-had-a/)

Ranjani Rao

> [His Holiness Pope John Paul II was a determined and deeply spiritual minded person for whom I had great respect and admiration. His experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalai-lama/his-holiness-pope-john-paul-ii-was-a-determined-and-deeply-spiritual/)

[Dalai Lama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalai-lama/)

> [“It can be difficult to find common ground when all some wish to discuss is our differences.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-a-a-savastano/it-can-be-difficult-to-find-common-ground-when-all-some-wish-to/)

[C.A.A. Savastano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-a-a-savastano/)

> [Good governance requires working toward common ground. It isn't easy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-hoekstra/good-governance-requires-working-toward-common-ground-it-isn-t-easy/)

[Pete Hoekstra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-hoekstra/)

> [“In the person of Quanah Parker, an extraordinary man in whom the blood of two strong peoples flowed, the Lone Star and the Comanche…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-w-knowles/in-the-person-of-quanah-parker-an-extraordinary-man-in-whom-the-blood/)

Thomas W. Knowles

> [The best way to promote and protect opportunity is through collaboration, consensus-building, and pragmatic problem-solving. Throughout nearly 30 years in public service, I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-perez/the-best-way-to-promote-and-protect-opportunity-is-through/)

[Tom Perez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-perez/)

> [We define family in many different ways: not just by blood but by people with whom we find a common ground and a common…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adrienne-c-moore/we-define-family-in-many-different-ways-not-just-by-blood-but-by/)

[Adrienne C. Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adrienne-c-moore/)

> [This was our common ground, the secret we shared but never spoke aloud. I should have been with him; she should have left him…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-dessen/this-was-our-common-ground-the-secret-we-shared-but-never-spoke-aloud/)

[Sarah Dessen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-dessen/)

[Browse all 390 Common ground quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/common-ground/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“Sometimes I wonder if a friendship in which the common ground is all that is bad about each person is a friendship worth having.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Beller"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beller/sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-which-the-common-ground-is-all/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Common ground"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beller/sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-which-the-common-ground-is-all/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/thomas-beller-108750_common-ground_sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-wh_178509.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/thomas-beller-108750_common-ground_sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-wh_178509.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/407/thomas-beller-108750_common-ground_sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-wh_178509.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Sometimes I wonder if a friendship in which the common ground is all that is bad about each person is a…” — Thomas Beller",
                "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": "Thomas Beller",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-beller/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“Sometimes I wonder if a friendship...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beller/sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-which-the-common-ground-is-all/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-beller/sometimes-i-wonder-if-a-friendship-in-which-the-common-ground-is-all/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
