miguel-se7

If someone were to ascend into the heavens and gaze at the nature of the universe and the beauty of the stars, that very wonder would be bitter for him, which would be the most delightful of all if he had someone to tell. Nature loves nothing that is solitary, but always inclines toward some sort of support. And the sweetest support is a very dear friend.

How to Be a Friend: An Ancient Guide to True Friendship by Cicero is a pretty short read, but that isn't to say it is lacking in meaningful content. This small essay on the nature of true friendships was extremely influential during medieval times, and after reading the book myself, it is easy to understand why. This work is specially relevant in an age where deep lasting friendships are being replaced with more superficial connections.

How to Be a Friend serves as a guideline on how to choose the right friends, what we should be looking out for, how we should behave with friends during good and bad times. The book is filled with practical tips on the subject, highlighting the importance of virtue in order to develop true friendships.

This particular edition includes the original text in Latin side by side with the translation, which seems like a pretty nice detail, even for readers, like me, who don't know Latin.

Overall the book is a pretty easy read about an important topic, although the first few pages can be a bit confusing due to the high number of names being tossed around.

I believe that this is a book that will come in handy for most people and will surely warrant a re-read from my part in the years to come.

You can find my favorite quotes for this book below:

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