Shared happiness, happiness doubled

‘Delad glädje, dubbel glädje: delad sorg, halv sorg.’ – Swedish proverb.

Oh, you don’t speak Swedish? Not to worry, neither do I. This proverb literally means, “Shared happiness, happiness doubled; shared sadness, sadness halved.” It’s about friendship, and how sharing your happiness with friends makes it so much more special; and sharing your sadness makes it much less painful.

Here are a few of my favorite quotations about friendship:

‘”And the believers, men and women, are protecting friends of one another; they enjoin the right and forbid the wrong.” (Quran 9:71)

Narrated AbuHurayrah: Allah’s Apostle (peace_be_upon_him) said: “Verily, Allah would say on the Day of Resurrection: ‘Where are those who have mutual love for My Glory’s sake? Today I shall shelter them in My shadow when there is no other shadow but the shadow of Mine.’” – Sahih Muslim

“The poor man is the one who has no friends.” – Ali ibn Abi Talib (ra)

“A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” – Anonymous

“Friendship is always a sweet responsibility, never an opportunity.” – Edgar Watson Howe

“When a friend is in trouble, don’t annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.” – Charles Caleb Colton

“When the character of a man is not clear to you, look at his friends.” – Japanese Proverb

“A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.” – Bernard Meltzer.