You might just as well take the sun out of the sky as friendship from life; for the immortal gods have given us nothing better or more delightful.”

I recall a young man in Athens who told me he would never bind himself to another soul, lest he lose his liberty. He spoke with the gravity of a statesman, yet he was terrified of a single meal shared without suspicion. It is a strange vanity to fear care when one fears nothing else so much as being known. We must not let such sophistry dim our spirits; for if we remove friendship, we leave the world dark and empty.