The saints were his friends, and blessed him; the monsters were his friends, and guarded him.

To love and be loved, that is the miracle of youth

His mind could do without faith, but his heart could not do without friendship.

Friend' is sometimes a word devoid of meaning; enemy, never.

When Cosette went out with him, she leaned on his arm, proud, happy, her heart full to overflowing. Jean

True friends are always together in spirit.

Happy or unhappy, families are all mysterious. We have only to imagine how differently we would be described - and will be, after our deaths - by each of the family members who believe they know us.

She found value in conflict, no matter what. "The purpose of ass-kicking is not that your ass gets kicked at the right time or for the right reason," she often explained. "It's to keep your ass sensitive.

True love is not so much a matter of romance as it is a matter of anxious concern for the well-being of one's companion.

Imagine how our own families, let alone the world, would change if we vowed to keep faith with one another, strengthen one another, look for and accentuate the virtues in one another, and speak graciously concerning one another. Imagine the cumulative effect if we treated each other with respect and acceptance, if we willingly provided support. Such interactions practiced on a small scale would surely have a rippling effect throughout our homes and communities and, eventually, society at large.

In our old age my beloved companion said to me quietly one evening, "You have always given me wings to fly, and I have loved you for it.

It is important to know when you feel down that many others do also and that their circumstances are generally much worse than yours. And it's important to know that when one of us is down it becomes the obligation of his friends to give him a lift. I hope that each of us will cultivate a sensitivity toward the feelings of others and when encouragement is needed make an effort to extend it. Be a friend and you will have a friend. God be thanked for wonderful friends.