---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Be a friend to thyself and others will too"
description: "\"Be a friend to thyself and others will too\" — Thomas Fuller"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/thomas-fuller-1956_friend_be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-t_433907.png"
---

#  Be a friend to thyself and others will too

![“Be a friend to thyself and others will too” quote by Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/thomas-fuller-1956_friend_be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-t_433907.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/thomas-fuller-1956_friend_be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-t_433907.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/thomas-fuller-1956_friend_be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-t_433907.png)

> “Be a friend to thyself and others will too”

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

## About This Quote

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

Recognizing self‑compassion encourages reciprocal kindness from others.

**In simple terms:** Treat yourself kindly, and others will follow.

Key Takeaway

Practice self‑care to foster mutual respect.

Themes

self‑compassion reciprocity kindness

Mood

reflective encouraging

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- personal relationships
- team building
- mental health
- community engagement

Key Concepts

psychology social behavior

Questions to Reflect On

- How does self‑respect influence your interactions?
- What barriers prevent others from mirroring your kindness?

A Different Perspective

Self‑compassion alone may not guarantee others' kindness.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friend Thyself](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend-thyself-3776729/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/)

## Related quotes

> [Be a friend to thyself, and others will be so too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-be-so-too/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [There is a scarcity of friendship, but not of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/there-is-a-scarcity-of-friendship-but-not-of-friends/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shelly-yang/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [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/)

> [“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/)

> [“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/)

> [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/unknwon/)

> [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/)

> [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/)

## More by Thomas Fuller

> [Poor men's reasons are not heard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/poor-men-s-reasons-are-not-heard/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [There is a scarcity of friendship, but not of friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/there-is-a-scarcity-of-friendship-but-not-of-friends/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Govern thy life and thy thoughts as if the whole world were to see the one, and read the other.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/govern-thy-life-and-thy-thoughts-as-if-the-whole-world-were-to-see/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [He who cures a disease may be the skillfullest, but he that prevents it is the safest physician.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/he-who-cures-a-disease-may-be-the-skillfullest-but-he-that-prevents/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Old foxes want no tutors.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/old-foxes-want-no-tutors/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Slight small injuries, and they will become none at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/slight-small-injuries-and-they-will-become-none-at-all/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [He who gives his heart will not deny his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/he-who-gives-his-heart-will-not-deny-his-money/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Though bachelors be the strongest stakes, married men are the best binders, in the hedge of the commonwealth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/though-bachelors-be-the-strongest-stakes-married-men-are-the-best/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Plain dealing is a jewel, but they that wear it are out of fashion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/plain-dealing-is-a-jewel-but-they-that-wear-it-are-out-of-fashion/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [We are born crying, live complaining, and die disappointed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/we-are-born-crying-live-complaining-and-die-disappointed/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [He that falls into sin is a man; that grieves at it, is a saint; that boasteth of it, is a devil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/he-that-falls-into-sin-is-a-man-that-grieves-at-it-is-a-saint-that/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Vows made in storms are forgotten in calm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/vows-made-in-storms-are-forgotten-in-calm/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Welcome death, quoth the rat, when the trap fell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/welcome-death-quoth-the-rat-when-the-trap-fell/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [A lie has no leg, but a scandal has wings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/a-lie-has-no-leg-but-a-scandal-has-wings/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

> [Great hopes make great men.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/great-hopes-make-great-men/)

[Thomas Fuller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

[Explore all 195 Thomas Fuller quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/)

## 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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/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": "Be a friend to thyself and others will too",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Thomas Fuller"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-too/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Friend"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-too/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/thomas-fuller-1956_friend_be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-t_433907.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/thomas-fuller-1956_friend_be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-t_433907.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/40c/thomas-fuller-1956_friend_be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-t_433907.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Be a friend to thyself and others will too” — Thomas Fuller",
                "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 Fuller",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-fuller/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Be a friend to thyself and...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-too/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-fuller/be-a-friend-to-thyself-and-others-will-too/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
