Ruskin Bond [Bond - A Little Book of Friendship

Published in RAINLIGHT by Rupa Publications India Pvt. Ltd. 2013 7/16, Ansari Road, Daryaganj New Delhi 110002 Copyright Ruskin Bond 2013 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, transmitted, or stored in a retrieval system, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publisher. ISBN, 978-81-291-2494-4 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 The moral right of the author has been asserted. Replika Press Pvt.

Ltd., India This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated, without the publisher's prior consent, in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published. CONTENTS My A Little Book of Life was so well received that my publishers suggested that I compile another Little Booka selection of personal reflections and quotations which could be helpful to readers in times of stress. Or even in times of contentment. And what better theme than friendship? My own life has been greatly influenced by friendships, old and new. Even though some may be far away, they are never far from my thoughts. Sometimes friends have become family, and sometimes, friends have made me a part of their families.

My notebooks are full of thoughts and observations on the subject of friendshipsome are my own reflections, others words of wisdom passed on to us by great men and women. And as with the earlier Little Book, we have provided readers with a number of blank pages where they can put down their own thoughts or favourite quotationsor even the names and characteristics of their closest friends! I have been writing for over sixty-five years, and I realize now that my greatest friends have been my readers. They have sustained me over the years. May they prosper and be happy! Ruskin Bond When I was eight, my father took me by the hand and led me up the steps of old forts and monuments, and told me their stories. He was the ideal companion, the best friend a boy could have had at that age. Fools try to make people like them; wise men strive to like others. Be slow in choosing a friend, slower in changing. Benjamin Franklin Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel; But do not dull thy palm with entertainment Of each new-hatchd, unfledged comrade. William Shakespeare An honest friend is worth more than a throne. Chinese proverb One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible. Chinese proverb One friend in a lifetime is much; two are many; three are hardly possible.

Friendship needs a certain parallelism of life, a community of thought, a rivalry of aim. Henry Adams Tell me thy company, and Ill tell thee what thou art. Cervantes Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another, What! You too? I thought I was the only one. C.S. Lewis Your task is not to seek for love, but merely to seek and find all the barriers within yourself that you have built against it. Rumi A great book is a friend that never lets you down.

You can return to it again and again and the joy first derived from it will still be there. Behold, I do not give lectures or a little charity, when I give I give myself. Walt Whitman The wise man does not lay up treasure. The more he gives to others, the more he has for his own. Lao Tzu Friendship is a word the very sight of which in print makes the heart warm. Augustine Birrell If a man does not make new acquaintances as he advances through life, he will soon find himself left alone.

A man, sir, should keep his friendship in constant repair. James Boswell One kind word can warm a heart for years. Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares. New Testament A good man finds all the world friendly. Indian proverb For there is no friend like a sister, In calm or stormy weather, To cheer one on the tedious way, To fetch one if one goes astray, To lift one if one totters down, To strengthen whilst one stands. Christina Rossetti Easy at first, the language of friendship Is, as we soon discover, Very difficult to speak well And, unless spoken often, soon goes rusty.

Distance and duties divide us, But absence will not seem an evil If it make our re-meeting A real occasion. Come when you can: Your room will be ready. W.H. Auden Hail Guest! We ask not what thou art; If Friend, we greet thee, hand and heart; If Stranger, such no longer be; If Foe, our love shall conquer thee.