Friends are an important part of our lives. True friends are like diamonds – they are precious and rare.
They bring us joy, happiness, and unconditional love. When we have no one to count on in difficult times, we can always find support and comfort from our friends.
And when things are going well in our lives, they are there to celebrate with us. Friendships should be cherished because they help shape us as people.
But what makes a good friend? Keep reading to learn more!
Someone You Can Count on No Matter What
A good friend is there for you when you need something.
They help you when you need help, give you emotional support when you need it most, and even cheer you on when you succeed.
A good friend is always there when they say they will be, and they stick with you no matter what happens in life.
A real friend is someone who always has your back, no matter what the situation.
Being there for someone when things get tough can make all the difference in life.
Going through thick and thin means that our friends are willing to help us wherever we need it, or support us through any difficulties we might face in life.
Someone Who Is Always There for You
Whether you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to celebrate with.
A good friend is there for you when your dog dies, when you get a new job, get engaged, or get married.
A true best friend is always there when he/she’s needed:
- if they see you looking dejected at the bar after being dumped, they would buy you a drink
- when you get accepted into your dream career, they will throw a huge party
Loyalty Is an Important Quality for a Good Friend
Loyalty is so important that you should never be loyal to someone who is not also loyal to you. Loyalty means sticking by each other through thick and thin.
It means being there for each other in good times and bad, even if that means listening to your friend complain about something he or she doesn’t like about his or her life or job.
Loyal friends stick by each other even when their loyalty makes them unpopular with others.
They don’t abandon each other because it’s “easier” than staying loyal; instead, they stay together as long as possible until things change for the worse between them – or until a day goes by when nothing changes at all!
They Are Honest With Each Other
They don’t withhold the truth because they want to spare the other person’s feelings or make the other person look good.
An honest friend knows that he/she is telling you something out of love and concern, not because he/she is judging or criticizing you.
Honesty is a core value for good friends because without it there is no trust between them and no foundation on which a relationship can grow and flourish.
Without mutual trust, all interactions become strained or awkward – and potentially dangerous if they involve secrets you have kept hidden for too long.
Honesty also means being able to admit when you’re wrong, which is important in any friendship.
Otherwise, resentment will build up inside you because you feel that your friend isn’t taking responsibility for what he or she did wrong – or worse, pretending that nothing happened at all!
Someone Who Accepts You as You Are, With All Your Quirks and Idiosyncrasies
They don’t try to change you or mold you into a different person. You can be yourself around them and they won’t judge or criticize you.
They don’t care what you look like or how much money is in your bank account. He/she sees the inner beauty that makes you as a person, not just your appearance or a status symbol.
He/she has no ulterior motives in being friends with someone; they do it because they want to be friends with that person based on their personality alone, not because they want something from them (money/power/etc.).
A real friend values friendship above all else and would never abuse another person’s trust by exploiting them for personal gain without their knowledge or consent; instead, they would rather end the relationship altogether than resort to such actions, which could ruin the reputation of both parties if discovered by others outside their circle of acquaintances.
They Are Supportive
Friends are the people in our lives that we can count on to understand what we’re going through, no matter how big or small it is.
They help us feel better about ourselves when we are having a rough day, and they’re there for us when we need them most.
A supportive friend is someone who takes the time to listen to your problems, whether it’s because they’ve been through it or because they just want to be a good listener.
Example: If you’re having problems in a relationship or at work, a supportive friend will give you advice from his/her own experience (if applicable), but won’t push you too hard if it’s something that has already been resolved.
Someone Who Is Patient With You
Good friends are willing to wait as long as it takes for you to open up about a problem or concern.
They understand that sometimes you don’t have the energy or motivation to talk about something, and they respect that.
If your friend is in a hurry, they’ll be happy to listen to you once they’ve finished their task.
He/she may even go out of his/her way just so he/she can hear more from you!
The same holds true when you need alone time or some quiet time on a busy day; your best friend won’t pester you with problems if those times happen once in a while.
He/she understands that everyone needs some space from time to time and doesn’t take it personally when someone says no thanks.
Someone Who Is Willing to Forgive You
A good friend doesn’t hold grudges against his/her friends or harbor resentment.
A good friend can look past his/her own feelings and think of what is best for the relationship.
He/she can look past your weaknesses, but also understands that those weaknesses exist and are a part of you.
They will not judge you for these weaknesses, but they may ask questions or try to help you if they feel that’s necessary.
Forgiveness is important in any relationship; friends must learn to forgive each other and sometimes even themselves! If both people don’t communicate well enough when something goes wrong, no relationship can survive long-term without falling apart (at least physically and mentally).
They Are Kind
Kindness is often overlooked as a quality of a friend.
Many people think that kindness is just one of those things that everyone should show, but it’s hard to define and hard to recognize.
A good friend is always friendly, no matter what the situation.
- Be patient with your friend when you need them most.
- Show empathy during difficult times (even if you don’t know exactly how they feel).
- Don’t make fun of your friend’s weaknesses or mistakes, but instead encourage them to improve by providing positive reinforcement and encouragement (instead of making comments like “That’s so stupid!” or “Why would you do that?”).
A Good Friend Is Someone Who Is Fun to Be With
They can go wild on the dance floor at a club or hang out in the backyard and play cards all afternoon.
Good friends know how to make their activities interesting for themselves and others.
He/she is up for anything. If someone suggests going skydiving or eating a scorpion, they’ll do it!
They aren’t afraid to try new things just because they don’t know much about them or have never done them before: they’ll do their best!
They Are Selfless
If you’re looking for a friend who will stick with you through thick and thin, someone who is willing to help you at a moment’s notice, selflessness is the quality you should look for.
Whether it’s giving you advice on an important decision or doing whatever it takes to make another person feel better, selfless people are always willing to go above and beyond what’s expected of them.
Selflessness isn’t limited to one trait, but a mentality that can be applied to many situations in life.
Selfless people put others first because they know how important friends are in times of need.
They also know that giving back makes them feel good about themselves and that this builds trust between others, which leads to friendships more than anything else!
They Know How to Get the Best Out of Any Situation
A good friend knows how to make the best of any situation and can help you do the same.
They can help you see the positive side of things, spot the silver lining in a dark cloud, and even show you the funny side of a situation.
They’re there for you when they know things aren’t going the way you want them to, and they’re willing to listen to all your problems without judging or interrupting you.
A true friend wants to hear everything that’s bothering you and won’t stop asking questions until they understand exactly what’s going on and why it’s so important.
A Good Friend Is Someone Reliable
A good friend is someone you can count on. He or she is someone you know will be there for you when you need him or her, and won’t let you down when things get tough.
He/she is someone you can trust to keep their word, keep their appointments, and not let others down. They are consistent in all their actions – good or bad.
A dependable person goes out of his/her way to do what he/she promises to do, at the time he/she promises to do it.
If a friend says, “I’ll pick up your laundry from the cleaners tomorrow,” he or she’ll pick it up from the cleaners tomorrow.
When a friend confirms a plan with another person (e.g., “I’ll meet you at 5 p.m.”), both parties-including the confirmer-can reasonably expect that action to be carried out by everyone involved: no excuses like “I’m sorry, but I had to work” or other flimsy reasons why something couldn’t take place as planned.
Someone Who’s Not Afraid to Give You Their Opinion, Even if It Differs From Your Own
Believing in your own opinion is one thing, but accepting that an opinion different from your own might be correct is a more difficult concept.
It’s natural to want to defend yourself when someone challenges your opinion. But if you want to be a good friend, you have to let go of that notion.
You should be open-minded enough to realize that sometimes other people are right and you are wrong – or vice versa.
It doesn’t matter who has the most experience or who’s been doing something for a long time – if someone gives their honest opinion on something, listen!
Your friend may not have been doing what he or she’s doing as long as you have, but that doesn’t mean his or her opinion can’t be valuable or true (and even better than yours).
It may be that his/her experiences are different from yours (whether by choice or circumstance), but those experiences can help him/her provide insight into situations where yours would fall short.
Someone Who Can Make You Laugh Even When You Don’t Feel Like It
No matter how tough the world seems to be against you, a good friend will always have your back and be there for you.
When the going gets tough, laughter can help lighten the load and bring some joy into your life.
Whether they’re cracking a joke or just making silly noises, having someone around you who makes you feel comfortable enough to laugh is a wonderful thing.
It’s also important to know that laughter is good for your health!
Not only do social interactions increase our sense of well-being, but laughter has been shown to release endorphins that lower stress levels in the body and mind.
They Are Sincere
A good friend is someone sincere with their feelings, opinions, intentions, and actions. They are honest with what they say and do to you.
They don’t hide their thoughts and feelings from you or others.
A good friend tells you what they think or feel in a way that doesn’t hurt your feelings, but they also don’t sugarcoat anything just to make it easier for you to hear what they have to say.
Being sincere is an important quality in a friend, because if someone can’t be genuine with themselves, how can we trust him or her with our secrets?
A good friend should always be willing to help others, whether it’s something small like lending someone money so he or she doesn’t miss the bus ride home from work and not get paid back until tomorrow morning.
Someone Who Listens to You and Offers Advice Even if You Don’t Want to Hear It
Listening isn’t only hearing what’s being said but also understanding the meaning behind the words.
When someone truly listens and understands what another person is saying, he/she’s showing respect for the person and the time spent together.
Listening also encourages further conversation because it shows that you’re interested in what your friend has to say.
Good friends listen because they want to learn more about us as individuals so they can better understand how to support us in difficult times or celebrate our successes (no matter how big or small those successes are).
They listen because we’re so important to them that they want nothing more than for us to be happy – even if that sometimes means having difficult conversations about things in our (or their) lives that may make them uncomfortable at first, but ultimately lead to a healthier relationship overall!
Friends Challenge Each Other
A good friend should challenge you to be a better person.
A good friend will make sure you don’t get too comfortable with the status quo but will challenge you to try new things, open up more, and be more honest.
You may be uncomfortable at first, but if your friendship is strong enough, those emotional walls won’t stand for long.
A good friend will also challenge themselves to be better, for your sake.
They’ll think about how they can help you in any situation (whether it’s something small or something big) and, if necessary, ask themselves how they could’ve acted differently to make things go better – both for them and for you.
If a similar scenario happens again later between friends, it won’t happen again because both sides know what went wrong in previous interactions.
Friendship Encourages Personal Growth and Development
It’s not just about being there for someone when he or she needs help, but also about enabling him or her to grow as a person by helping him or her discover his or her strengths, talents, and interests.
When you have good friends around you who support you in your goals and desires, it’s easier to achieve those goals because they encourage you to keep going when things get tough.
Friendships are also important because we can learn about ourselves by interacting with other people.
Friendships allow us to practice interacting with others so that we become better at communicating our feelings and thoughts in appropriate ways without being overly aggressive or passive-aggressive (or both).
This helps develop the emotional intelligence that will make our working relationships more effective in the future.
Friendship Brings Meaning to Life
The quality of our friendships reflects the quality of our lives and the kind of person we are.
Friends help us grow, mature, and learn from each other. They help build our self-esteem, confidence, and security and support us when we need it most.
In short, a good friend is there for you when you’re feeling down, and has a listening ear when you need to talk about something important in your life or just how your day was at work or school.
Friendship is very important because, without friends, life would be boring and meaningless!
Friends Keep Secrets
It’s that simple. A good friend won’t tell everyone your secrets, especially if you didn’t want them to know in the first place.
It may happen by accident (a slip of the tongue), but a good friend won’t gossip about it or pass it on to others either.
The confidentiality of your friendship has been violated and it can do significant damage to your relationship with that person or group of people.
A good friend will keep your secrets. He or she values honesty, trustworthiness, and loyalty in his or her relationships with other people because he or she knows that these things are vital to a healthy relationship between people who like each other very much!
They Don’t Talk Behind Your Back
This is an important point. If someone talks about you behind your back, they aren’t your friend and should leave.
A good friend won’t gossip about you. Gossip is just bad news – and if it’s true, there’s nothing good to say about it anyway!
So don’t get involved in gossip games that hurt people or relationships – they never lead to anything good and can turn friends into enemies in no time.
A good friend won’t say anything that will hurt your feelings, reputation, or relationship with anyone else (including yourself).
They Make Time for You
They don’t just say they’ll be there for you or with you, they do it.
And when one of your other friends needs support, a good friend is always willing to offer you a shoulder to cry on – or at least an ear to listen.
A good friend is someone who makes it clear that their relationship is so important to them that they put it above other things, whether it’s work commitments, parties at the bar, or even their interests.
They also know how much it means to you: a lot! Anyone would love to have a person who cares about what’s going on in their life as much as they do.
A Good Friend Respects Your Boundaries
A good friend doesn’t cross the line by forcing his/her opinions on you, imposing his/her beliefs on you, or taking advantage of you.
A good friend also understands that while they’re friends with someone who likes to share their opinions in a friendly way (and that’s okay), they don’t always have to express those opinions.
They understand that while they may get along with another person who likes to give advice (and that’s okay too), that person doesn’t want them giving advice all the time – or at all!
In short, they know when it’s appropriate to say something and when it’s not; when it’s okay to share your thoughts about something with someone and when it’s not; and so on!
A Good Friend Is Non-judgmental
A good friend doesn’t judge you for your actions, beliefs, or feelings.
They listen to what you have to say and don’t judge it as right or wrong. They are open-minded and accepting of new ideas and different ways of doing things.
A good friend doesn’t put others down just because he or she disagrees with their actions, beliefs, or attitudes about life.
A good friend supports his or her friends through thick and thin, whether it’s happy times or sad times; he or she doesn’t judge someone who made a mistake or did something wrong just because he or she wouldn’t have done it themselves – this can be especially helpful when the person feels guilty for something that isn’t his or her fault!
A Good Friend Is Cheerful and Optimistic
They’re a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day. Just their presence can lift your mood and make you feel better about life.
Your cheerful friend doesn’t let you down by making you feel like a loser, as some people do by surrounding themselves with negative thinkers who constantly belittle others to make themselves feel better.
A good friend always sees the positive side of things, even when life seems the bleakest for themselves or someone else in their life.
Even when these situations are difficult, optimism helps people deal with seemingly insurmountable problems!
They Are Empathetic
It’s not always easy to be there for someone. It can be frustrating, so frustrating that you don’t want to deal with it anymore.
But when you’re going through something difficult, there’s no one better than a true friend by your side to support and empathize with.
When someone is feeling down or misunderstood, it can help them feel understood and cared for if their friends can show empathy for them.
Empathy is the ability to understand and share another person’s feelings – and that includes their feelings of frustration or confusion as well as happiness or excitement!
Good friends use this skill all the time when trying to help each other; they take the time to listen when their friend tells them what happened at work all day and may even give them advice on how best to handle certain situations in future meetings at work!
A Good Friend Never Betrays Your Trust
A good friend will never betray your trust, lie to you, or take advantage of you.
People give their trust based on the actions of others. A person who betrays your trust has demonstrated a lack of character and thus forfeited their right to be trusted by you.
A good friend would never betray the trust of his or her friends in this way because he or she knows that’s a terrible way to live – and if someone is willing to do something as heinous as betraying another person’s trust, what other terrible things could he or she do?
If someone abuses the trust of one of your friends, then he or she’s not worthy to be called a friend because he or she doesn’t respect the friendship with his or her friend enough to not behave so unkindly toward him or her.
Trust should always come first when you’re considering whether someone should become part of your circle of friends.
If you can’t trust him or her at all times, there’s no point in pursuing more than a casual acquaintance with them (and probably none at all).
A Good Friend Compromises and Apologizes
Compromising and apologizing are two of the most important ways to show your friendship to your friend.
Compromising means you are willing to change your mind or point of view, even if it is different from yours.
If you want to do something a certain way, but your friend wants it done differently, compromise by doing what they want instead of what you want.
This shows that your friendship is more important to you than doing things the way you want them done.
Apologizing means that if someone does something wrong or hurtful, they admit their mistake and ask for forgiveness from their friend(s) for hurting them (verbally) in some way.
There should also be a plan of action so that such situations never happen again!
For example, “I’m sorry for saying such mean things about your dress.” Then maybe write somewhere on a piece of paper, “I’ll never say anything bad about anyone else’s dress again.”
They Don’t Make Assumptions About You
This may sound like a simple concept, but it’s hard to put into practice.
In the real world, people are very busy and tend to jump to conclusions about each other before they know all the facts.
But when it comes to friendship, jumping to conclusions only leads to hurt feelings and misunderstandings – and that’s not what happens between good friends!
Good friends don’t assume anything; they ask questions instead of making assumptions about each other’s intentions, character, or feelings.
If there’s something that needs to be clarified, ask!
This has two advantages: Your friend feels heard (which is always nice) and your relationship becomes closer because there was no room for misunderstanding between the two of you in the first place.
A Good Friend Is a Good Communicator
Communication is an important part of a true friendship because it allows the other person to understand what you have to say.
Good communication isn’t just about listening, but also about understanding each other before you speak.
This means that your friends should be able to share their thoughts and understand where the other person is coming from.
This way, they can find solutions that are good for both of them!
A Good Friend Doesn’t Display Favoritism
A good friend shows no favoritism and would never ask his/her friends to choose sides in an argument.
If you have a friend who’s constantly choosing sides, it’s time for him or her to rethink his or her friendships.
If you’re arguing with a friend, it might be tempting to tell others about the conflict so they can choose sides.
Resist this urge!
Good friends don’t force their friends to choose sides – they help each other resolve differences peacefully and maturely.
Even if things get heated between you and another person sometimes (and they will), remember: the best way forward is honest communication, not going off the deep end with some rumor just because someone asked you what happened between two people who aren’t fighting at all, except by your hearsay.
A Good Friend Tells You When You’re Wrong
A good friend tells you when he or she thinks you’re wrong, even if it means being a little mean.
When your friend tells you that you’re being a jerk and should stop acting like one, he or she’s trying to help you.
They may not have been very polite, but it’s still better than not saying anything at all.
A good friend listens to criticism without bias and tries to improve based on that advice.
This is another way to respect the friendship: if someone wants to help you grow as a person (and this can come from outside sources ), then you should do your best not to ignore it, but to consider what he or she’s saying so that you can become a better version of yourself!
A Good Friend Knows Your Limits and Helps You Stop When You’ve Had Too Much to Drink
A good friend won’t let you drive home if they think you have had too much to drink.
And if something happens on the way home (like an accident), a good friend wants to make sure that everyone is okay and that they reached their destination.
He/she knows when it’s time to leave the party or event so everyone can get some sleep before work in the morning or school in the afternoon/evening.
A good friend also understands when someone has had enough and will help them stop drinking if necessary, without being pushy – or without giving the impression that taking care of themselves isn’t important enough to stop drinking!
A Good Friend Isn’t Easily Jealous
It’s important to have a friend who supports you in your endeavors, even if he or she doesn’t understand them.
A good friend isn’t jealous when you succeed, but is happy to have a great person in his or her life who’s doing well.
A good friend isn’t jealous of your possessions or relationships.
They don’t feel the need to take what’s yours.
A good friend does not feel the need for more material things than he or she already has; instead, he or she appreciates what he or she has and enjoys using it every day!
Good Friends Can Go a Long Time Without Talking or Seeing Each Other
Good friends can’t talk or see each other for a long time and still pick up right where they left off.
If you’re a good friend, you can talk or not see each other for a long time. Good friends don’t have to be together to be friends.
They can also be apart and still be good friends. That’s because what matters most to them is the friendship itself, not just being in proximity with each other at all times and on all occasions.
If you’re looking for a good friend who will make your life better by being around you, this is an important quality to look for: can this person not talk to me or see me for a long time?
If yes, it means that you’re both mature enough to live your own lives and still respect each other’s individuality and your friendship with each other.
Conclusion
We’ve described the qualities of a good friend. These are qualities to keep in mind as you go through life and build new relationships.
Friends come in all shapes and sizes, but if you find people who exhibit these qualities, you’re well on your way to a great friendship.
