“True friendship is an identity of souls rarely to be found in this world. Only between like natures can friendship be altogether worthy and enduring. Friends react on one another.”
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Probable attribution
This saying is widely associated with Mahatma Gandhi, but the attribution is not supported by a reliable primary source.
Likely origin: Same Autobiography passage on friendship as #766, extended by two sentences; not verbatim-confirmed.
About this quote
Lasting closeness tends to form between people already alike in temperament, and once it forms, each begins to color the other — habits, moods, and opinions rub off in both directions. The influence is never one-way; you shape a close friend about as much as they shape you.
When to use it
- Two friends who train together slowly adopt each other's discipline and stricter eating habits.
- A cynical man softens after years beside a warmer friend, while she picks up his sharper wit.
- Roommates find their taste in music and even their slang drifting toward a shared middle.