--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A friend should bear a friend's…" description: "\"A friend should bear a friend's infirmities, But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.\" — William Shakespeare" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/william-shakespeare-4_friendship_a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmit_1543920.jpg" --- # A friend should bear a friend's infirmities, But Brutus… ![“A friend should bear a friend's infirmities, But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.” quote by William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/william-shakespeare-4_friendship_a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmit_1543920.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/william-shakespeare-4_friendship_a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmit_1543920.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/william-shakespeare-4_friendship_a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmit_1543920.jpg) > “A friend should bear a friend's infirmities, But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.” [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A friend should accept each other's flaws, but jealousy can exaggerate them. **In simple terms:** Friends should accept flaws, not magnify them. Key Takeaway Beware of jealousy distorting perception. Themes friendship jealousy perception Mood cautious thoughtful Type literary philosophical When to use this quote - relationships - conflict resolution - trust building Key Concepts human nature emotional bias Questions to Reflect On - Do you ever amplify others' faults? - How can you practice fair judgment? A Different Perspective Friendship can be strained by envy, leading to unfair judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Friend](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friend/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/love/) ## Related quotes > [A friend should bear his friend's infirmities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-friend-should-bear-his-friend-s-infirmities/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [When we were on acid, we would go into the woods, because there was less chance that you would run into an authority figure.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/when-we-were-on-acid-we-would-go-into-the-woods-because-there-was/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [“On the other hand, it's like we're three years old. 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(You too, Brutus!)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/et-tu-brute-you-too-brutus/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“From somewhere above me, there was an irritated hiss. ‘Food.’ I strained my head upwards. ‘Hi, Brutus.’ His yellow eyes stared down at me,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-harper/from-somewhere-above-me-there-was-an-irritated-hiss-food-i-strained/) [Helen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-harper/) > [“Et tu, Brute?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/et-tu-brute/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“Fates, we will know your pleasures: That we shall die, we know; 'tis but the time And drawing days out, that men stand upon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/fates-we-will-know-your-pleasures-that-we-shall-die-we-know-tis-but/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [For Brutus, as you know, was Caesar's angel: Judge, O you gods, how dearly Caesar loved him! 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A bomb is a sordid modern device with many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bruce-sterling/a-dagger-is-the-noble-weapon-of-brutus-everyone-understands-that/) [Bruce Sterling](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bruce-sterling/) > [When your living like Ceasar, you better watch out for Brutus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bizzy-crook/when-your-living-like-ceasar-you-better-watch-out-for-brutus/) Bizzy Crook > [Hamlet is the result of Shakespeare's work on Brutus.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dakin-matthews/hamlet-is-the-result-of-shakespeare-s-work-on-brutus/) [Dakin Matthews](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dakin-matthews/) > [“There was a brief mutter from underneath the table. ‘Thank fuck,’ Brutus said. ‘We need to depart this hellhole tout suite.’ I started and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-harper/there-was-a-brief-mutter-from-underneath-the-table-thank-fuck-brutus/) [Helen Harper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-harper/) > [Let's be honest, the cards' on the table: Jealousy's a sin, Cain killed Abel. Backstabber...Caesar had Brutus. It's hard to weed 'em out, even…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pusha-t/let-s-be-honest-the-cards-on-the-table-jealousy-s-a-sin-cain-killed/) [Pusha T](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pusha-t/) > [I've been on a ranch. I've been in outer space. For a short, unhappy period I was a detective. I've also played Brutus and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorne-greene/i-ve-been-on-a-ranch-i-ve-been-in-outer-space-for-a-short-unhappy/) [Lorne Greene](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorne-greene/) > [I picture several reviewers of my own books as passing a long future lodged between Brutus and Judas in the jaws of Satan.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-jay-gould/i-picture-several-reviewers-of-my-own-books-as-passing-a-long-future/) [Stephen Jay Gould](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-jay-gould/) Browse all 43 Brutus quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A friend should bear a friend's infirmities, But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "William Shakespeare" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmities-but-brutus-makes-mine/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Brutus" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmities-but-brutus-makes-mine/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/william-shakespeare-4_friendship_a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmit_1543920.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/william-shakespeare-4_friendship_a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmit_1543920.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b4/william-shakespeare-4_friendship_a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmit_1543920.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“A friend should bear a friend's infirmities, But Brutus makes mine greater than they are.” — William Shakespeare", "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": "William Shakespeare", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "A friend should bear a friend's...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmities-but-brutus-makes-mine/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/a-friend-should-bear-a-friend-s-infirmities-but-brutus-makes-mine/#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 } } ] } ```