“"We are friends," said I, rising and bending over her, as she rose from the bench. "And will continue friends apart," said Estella. I took her hand in mine, and we went out of the ruined place; and, as the morning mists had risen long ago when I first left the forge, so the evening mists were rising now, and in all the broad expanse of tranquil light they showed to me, I saw no shadow of another parting from her.”
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About this quote
We are friends, and will continue friends apart — accept that some bonds survive distance and change. That acceptance is a clear call to stop pretending every ending is a failure and to hold steady without drama. Treat parting as a fact, not a blow to your worth; act responsibly in how you leave and how you remember. Charles Dickens shows parting as a quiet confirmation of continuity rather than a reason for avoidance.
When to use it
- Tell a close friend before moving away: 'We are friends, and will continue friends apart,' then make a concrete plan to check in each month.
- When a relationship ends, use the line to remind yourself to keep respect and boundaries instead of clinging to false hopes.
- Write the sentence in a goodbye note to signal calm acceptance and to avoid exaggerated promises you can't keep.
- In a conversation with someone you’re drifting from, say the line and follow it with specific actions so distance doesn't turn into resentment.