If you want to have a good friend, you first must be a good friend.

A sham friend is more hateful than an open enemy.

When you see a thief, you befriend him, and throw in your lot with adulterers.

The wounds of a friend are faithful, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

I have a simple rule that is of great value in identifying whom to trust: Do not choose friends on the basis of personality, 'chemistry,' or enjoyment alone. Know their character (i.e. their values and whether they act on those values) before you trust them.

True friends stab you in the front

I have many, many old friends, and I always think that it's important, when you get into politics, to have friends you had before you were in politics and to understand what's on their minds.

A man is known by the company he keeps.

There can be no friendship without confidence, and no confidence without integrity.

Avoid those who seek friends in order to maintain a certain social status or to open doors they would not otherwise be able to approach.

Choose your friends by their character and your socks by their color. Choosing your socks by their character makes no sense, and choosing your friends by their color is unthinkable.

But I must at the very beginning lay down this principle—friendship can only exist between good men.