--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: You can make a new friend but you can't…" description: "\"You can make a new friend but you can't make an old one.\" — Tom Bodett" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/tom-bodett-20459_friend_you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t_2052418.png" --- # You can make a new friend but you can't make an old one. ![“You can make a new friend but you can't make an old one.” quote by Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/tom-bodett-20459_friend_you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t_2052418.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/tom-bodett-20459_friend_you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t_2052418.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/tom-bodett-20459_friend_you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t_2052418.png) > “You can make a new friend but you can't make an old one.” [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. You can form new friendships, but you cannot recreate past relationships or change who you were. **In simple terms:** New friends are possible; old ones cannot be remade. Key Takeaway Accept new connections, cherish old ones. Themes friendship change nostalgia Mood nostalgic thoughtful Type social personal When to use this quote - social networking - reunion - life transitions Key Concepts social bonds personal growth Questions to Reflect On - What makes a friendship enduring? - How do you honor past relationships while moving forward? A Different Perspective Attempting to force old dynamics can cause frustration. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friend Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend-make-393188/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Make](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make/) [Make New](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-new/) [Make Old](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/make-old-1771739/) [New Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-friend/) [New friends](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-friends/) [New friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-friendship/) ## Related quotes > [When you actually make a new friend, and you make music and laugh really hard together, that can give you a lot of confidence…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arca/when-you-actually-make-a-new-friend-and-you-make-music-and-laugh/) [Arca](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arca/) > [When you lose a best friend you will always make new ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sokhom/when-you-lose-a-best-friend-you-will-always-make-new-ones/) [Sokhom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sokhom/) > [Restoring an old forgotten friendship is like making a new friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/restoring-an-old-forgotten-friendship-is-like-making-a-new-friend/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don't judge people you don't know. You have no idea what they've been through, and you may waste an opportunity to make a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-avery/don-t-judge-people-you-don-t-know-you-have-no-idea-what-they-ve-been/) [John Avery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-avery/) > [Tell me something only you know and make a new friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dejan-stojanovic/tell-me-something-only-you-know-and-make-a-new-friend/) [Dejan Stojanovic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dejan-stojanovic/) > [O my poor old Harry Jekyll, if ever I read Satan's signature upon a face, it is on that of your new friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/o-my-poor-old-harry-jekyll-if-ever-i-read-satan-s-signature-upon-a/) [Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/) > [We've had people say, "Now when I go to work, I don't feel uncomfortable talking to people of different races, and I go up…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-emerson/we-ve-had-people-say-now-when-i-go-to-work-i-don-t-feel-uncomfortable/) [Michael Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-emerson/) > [I’ve got a new friend, all right. But what a gamble friendship is! Charlotte is fierce, brutal, scheming, bloodthirsty—everything I don’t like. How can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-ve-got-a-new-friend-all-right-but-what-a-gamble-friendship-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Shakira is a new friend, but I love her dearly already. She's so sweet and adorable and hilarious.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-levine/shakira-is-a-new-friend-but-i-love-her-dearly-already-she-s-so-sweet/) [Adam Levine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-levine/) > [It is exciting to be off to a new land with a new friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aidan-gillen/it-is-exciting-to-be-off-to-a-new-land-with-a-new-friend/) [Aidan Gillen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aidan-gillen/) > [A new friend is new wine, when it grows old, you will enjoy drinking it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alan-kay/a-new-friend-is-new-wine-when-it-grows-old-you-will-enjoy-drinking-it/) [Alan Kay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alan-kay/) > [The first time I read an excellent book, it is to me just as if I had gained a new friend. When I read…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-goldsmith/the-first-time-i-read-an-excellent-book-it-is-to-me-just-as-if-i-had/) [Oliver Goldsmith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-goldsmith/) > [In a new friend we start life anew, for we create a new edition of ourselves and so become,for the time being, a new…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/in-a-new-friend-we-start-life-anew-for-we-create-a-new-edition-of/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I've reached a new level of closeness with a new friend when I can make a joke at their expense. That's one of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-lonergan/i-ve-reached-a-new-level-of-closeness-with-a-new-friend-when-i-can/) [Kenneth Lonergan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-lonergan/) > [I need a new friend. I need a friend, period. Not a true friend, nothing close or share clothes or sleepover giggle giggle yak…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-halse-anderson/i-need-a-new-friend-i-need-a-friend-period-not-a-true-friend-nothing/) [Laurie Halse Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-halse-anderson/) ## More by Tom Bodett > [Kids in Alaska don't know they're growing up on the Last Frontier. It's just what they see on the license plates, and it's something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/kids-in-alaska-don-t-know-they-re-growing-up-on-the-last-frontier-it/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Did you ever notice that nobody you see on television looks like anyone you know?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/did-you-ever-notice-that-nobody-you-see-on-television-looks-like/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [It's not like Alaska isn't wilderness - it mostly is. But most Alaskans don't live in the wild. They live on the edge of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/it-s-not-like-alaska-isn-t-wilderness-it-mostly-is-but-most-alaskans/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [What you hear is southern Michigan, not a drawl, but a halting kind of speech where you leave spaces when there shouldn't be any.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/what-you-hear-is-southern-michigan-not-a-drawl-but-a-halting-kind-of/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [My work is still very much light-hearted, positive outlook, laugh at yourself. But it isn't going to be the laugh-a-minute kind of thing that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/my-work-is-still-very-much-light-hearted-positive-outlook-laugh-at/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Americans are generally very self-sufficient and I think generally averse to pretension, just as I am.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/americans-are-generally-very-self-sufficient-and-i-think-generally/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [I'm real. I believe what I'm saying. If Motel 6 wasn't the type of operation they say it is - and I stay at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/i-m-real-i-believe-what-i-m-saying-if-motel-6-wasn-t-the-type-of/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Like most Alaska immigrants, my roots continue to petition for equal time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/like-most-alaska-immigrants-my-roots-continue-to-petition-for-equal/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Could the garment and appliance industries be in cahoots together, creating an artificial sock demand to keep us buying?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/could-the-garment-and-appliance-industries-be-in-cahoots-together/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [They say a person needs just three things to be truly happy in this world: someone to love, something to do, and something to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/they-say-a-person-needs-just-three-things-to-be-truly-happy-in-this/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Mine is not a story to tell struggling writers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/mine-is-not-a-story-to-tell-struggling-writers/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [The difference between an optimist and a pessimist? An optimist laughs to forget, but a pessimist forgets to laugh.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/the-difference-between-an-optimist-and-a-pessimist-an-optimist-laughs/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [I know how to make adults laugh pretty well. I don't know if kids think I'm that funny.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/i-know-how-to-make-adults-laugh-pretty-well-i-don-t-know-if-kids/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [Professor Al Drake encouraged me to just write the way I talk. I decided if that's what I needed to do, I didn't need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/professor-al-drake-encouraged-me-to-just-write-the-way-i-talk-i/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) > [I went to Alaska as a young man just looking for adventure. And like so many of us in the '70s, we found it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/i-went-to-alaska-as-a-young-man-just-looking-for-adventure-and-like/) [Tom Bodett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) [Explore all 31 Tom Bodett quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/) ## 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": "You can make a new friend but you can't make an old one.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tom Bodett" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t-make-an-old-one/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Friend" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t-make-an-old-one/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/tom-bodett-20459_friend_you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t_2052418.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/tom-bodett-20459_friend_you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t_2052418.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b39/tom-bodett-20459_friend_you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t_2052418.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“You can make a new friend but you can't make an old one.” — Tom Bodett", "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": "Tom Bodett", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-bodett/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "You can make a new friend...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t-make-an-old-one/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-bodett/you-can-make-a-new-friend-but-you-can-t-make-an-old-one/#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 } } ] } ```