Having close friends that you can lean on during the hard times of your life is important. But it can feel difficult to figure out who in your life is a real friend.
The following are 125 educational and uplifting quotes about letting go of fake, toxic relationships and creating true friendship in your life.
Sections
- Quotes about real friends vs fake friends
- Quotes about having no real friends
- Deep quotes about real friends
- Quotes about finding out who your real friends are
- Quotes about what real friends don’t do
- Common questions
Quotes about real friends vs fake friends
Losing a friend can be heartbreaking. You think you have a friend until hard times come along, and they’re nowhere to be found. The following quotes are all about the difference between real friends and fake friends.
1. “A real friend is one who walks in when the rest of the world walks out.” —Walter Winchell
 
2. “There will always be real friends and fake friends. It is difficult to distinguish the two because both will appear the same in the beginning but so different at the end.” —Rita Zahara
 
3 “Real friends are able to step up for you during important, stressful, sad, difficult times when you need them the most.” —Caitlin Killoren, 15 Signs That Prove Your Friendship is the Real Deal
4. “A true friend is loyal not just in front of you, but also when you’re not there.” —Sira Mas, Fake Friends
 
5. “True friends aren’t the ones who make your problems disappear. They are the ones who won’t disappear when you’re facing problems.” —Unknown
 
6. “True friends are people who are there for you during life’s up and down moments. They are genuinely happy for you when you succeed and will be there for you when you ask them for help. Real friends make you feel loved, happy, and supported, unlike fake friends.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
7. “A real situation will always expose a fake friend.” —Unknown
 
8. “A true friend is someone who is there for you when he’d rather be anywhere else.” —Len Wein
 
9. “Life is too short for fake cheese or fake friends.” —Whitney Fleming, Life is too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends
10. “True friends cry when you leave, fake friends leave when you cry.” —Unknown
 
11. “It’s time you start saying no to the people in your life who aren’t true friends.” —Vanessa Van Edwards, Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, YouTube
 
12. “Fake friends are like shadows. Always near you in your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour. True friends are like stars, you don’t always see them, but they are always there.” —Unknown
13. “How your friends treat you is how they feel about you, period. Your true friends will treat you well, regardless of the situation. Your fake friends won’t.” —Unknown
 
14. “Fake friends are around you when they think you’re cool. True friends are around even when they think you’re a fool.” —Unknown
 
15. “There are positive, wonderful friendships that are mutually beneficial to both friends that should last a lifetime. But there are other friendships that are negative, destructive, or unhealthy that should end.” —Jan Yager, When Friendship Hurts
16. “Fake friends are like pennies, two-faced and worthless. True friends are like bras; they pick you up when you are hanging.” —Unknown
 
17. “A fake friend is someone who makes you fake it—fake liking, fake authenticity, or faking someone you are not, in order to be friends with them.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
18. “The most beautiful discovery true friends make is that they can grow separately without growing apart.” —Elisabeth Foley
19. “True friends stab you in the front.” —Oscar Wilde
 
20. “Fake friends are often not secure enough in who they are to be real and authentic.” —Sherri Gordon, How to Spot Fake Friends in Your Life, VeryWellFamily
 
21. “Real friendship, like real poetry, is extremely rare and precious as a pearl.” —Tahar Ben Jelloun
22. “When you choose real friends, you have greater happiness and health. And if you have fake friends, it’s best to cut them loose before they put a strain on your life.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
23. “A true friend never gets in your way unless you happen to be going down.” —Arnold H. Glasow
 
24. “You deserve to be around people who support you.” —Vanessa Van Edwards, Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, YouTube
25. “A real friendship should not fade as time passes, and should not weaken because of space separation.” —John Newton
 
26. “Turning a fake friend into a real one often takes a lot more effort than it’s worth.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
27. “Fake friends believe in rumors. Real friends believe in you.” —Unknown
28. “A real friend and fake friend can be hard to distinguish, but they are very different!” —Morgan Hegarty, 11 Differences Between Real Friends and Fake Friends
 
29. “I would have so many more friends if I lost my success and my confidence.” —Drake
 
30. “A fake friendship can feel like a real one, but it can be more damaging than good for you.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
31. “Frenemies might want you to do good on the surface, but behind your back they will gossip about you and may even be jealous of your accomplishments and successes.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
32. “Similarly to how having good friends can be good for our lives, having toxic friends can be toxic for our lives.” —How Toxic Friendships Can Affect Your Mental Health, GRW
 
33. “A bad friend can be many things but typically, they lead to mental and emotional fatigue or a lack of general well-being.” —Dan Brennan, Signs of a Bad Friend, WebMD
You also might like these quotes on one-sided friendships.
Quotes about having no real friends
Many of us yearn to have a real friend to depend on. We might have friends we connect with on social media, but often they aren’t real friends who are there when we need them most. The following quotes are for anyone that feels like they don’t have any real friends.
1. “I’d rather have no friends than fake ones.” —Unknown
 
2. “I decided to put as much effort into contacting you as you do with me – that’s why we don’t talk anymore.” —Unknown
 
3. “Disappointed, but not surprised.” —Unknown
4. “I realized just how alone I was. Sure I have ‘friends,’ but I don’t have any real friends.” —Tina Fey, 10 Signs You Don’t Have Any Real Friends in Your Life
 
5. “I don’t know who my real friends are, and I’m trapped in a world where I have nowhere to go.” —Unknown
 
6. “Everyone else has real friends. But somehow I don’t, because I’m just not up to it, or people just aren’t interested.” —John Cuddeback, Having No Real Friends
7. “We console ourselves with several friends for not having found one real one.” —Andre Maurois
 
8. “Every second conversation with my fake friends seemed to always turn to what I could do for them.” —Tina Fey, 10 Signs You Don’t Have Any Real Friends in Your Life
 
9. “That’s when I realized what a true friend was. Someone who would always love you—the imperfect you, the confused you, the wrong you—because that is what people are supposed to do.” —Unknown
10. “We can only go really deep with a few.” —John Cuddeback, Having No Real Friends
 
11. “A person who has no true friends has a heavy character.” —Democritus
 
12. “I’ve come to the realization that because I have no real friends, I will never have to pay for an overpriced bridesmaid dress. I’m not even mad.” —Unknown
13. “The reason we have few friends in adversity is because we have no true ones in prosperity.” —Norm MacDonald
 
14. “You don’t lose friends, because real friends can never be lost. You lose people masquerading as friends, and you’re better for it.” —Mandy Hale
 
15. “In fact, most people don’t really have any true friends to help them out when needed.” —Tracey Folly, Most People Have No Real Friends, Medium
16. “Those who have a host of friends and are on familiar terms with everybody seem to be real friends of no one.” —Aristotle
 
17. “It’s better to be yourself and have no friends than it is to be like your friends and have no self.” —Unknown
 
18. “There’s no point in having tons of friends who won’t be there when you’re down.” —Unknown
19. “Do not chase people. Be you and do your own thing and work hard. The right people who belong in your life will come to you, and stay.” —Unknown
 
20. “You grow up and understand: when a hard time comes, you realize who your real friends are, but you can also count them on one hand.” —Unknown
 
21. “From small to big to everything under the sun, I was the person to call and ask for a hand. Yet when I needed a hand—oops—there seemed to be nobody with the time or inclination to help me out.” —Tina Fey, 10 Signs You Don’t Have Any Real Friends in Your Life
22. “I feel like my ‘friends’ are doing me a favor just by hanging out or texting back.” —Tina Fey, 10 Signs You Don’t Have Any Real Friends in Your Life
You might also be able to relate to these quotes about having no friends.
Deep quotes about real friends
There are few things more beautiful than when real friends turn into family. Friends are the family that we get to choose, and our lives are always made better by true friendship.
1. “There is nothing I would not do for those who are really my friends.” —Jane Austen
 
2. “True friends want to see each other win.” —Sira Mas, Fake Friends
 
3. “Anything is possible when you have the right people there to support you.” —Misty Copeland
4. “One friend with whom you have a lot in common is better than three with whom you struggle to find things to talk about.” —Mindy Kaling
 
5. “A friend is one who overlooks your broken fence and admires the flowers in your garden.” —Unknown
 
6. “Having genuine friends is such a blessing. No jealousy, no competing, no gossip, or any other negativity. Just love and good vibes.” —Unknown
7. “Friends are those rare people who ask how we are and then wait to hear the answer.” —Ed Cunningham
 
8. “Only love, acceptance and a whole lot of laughter.” —Whitney Fleming, Life is too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends
 
9. “Growing apart doesn’t change the fact that for a long time, we grew side by side; our roots will always be tangled. I’m glad for that.” —Ally Condie
10. “We absolutely can grow out of friends, just like we grow out of clothes. Sometimes our taste changes, sometimes our size changes.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
11. “A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.” —Bernard Meltzer
 
12. “Only those who care about you can hear when you’re quiet.” —Unknown
13. “Rare as is true love, true friendship is rarer.” —Jean de la Fontaine
 
14. “If a fake friend finds out who you truly are, they probably won’t be friends with you anymore.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
15. “A true friend is someone who sees the pain in your eyes while everyone else believes the smile on your face.” —Unknown
16. “When the universe gives you a crash course in vulnerability, you will discover how crucial and life-preserving good friendship is.” —Dr. Lerner quoted in Some Friends, Indeed, Do More Harm Than Good, NYTimes
 
17. “People change, and so do friends.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
18. “One friend in a storm is worth more than a thousand friends in sunshine.” —Matshona Dhliwa
19. “It takes two people to start and maintain a friendship, but only one to end it.” —Dr. Yager quoted in Some Friends, Indeed, Do More Harm Than Good, NYTimes
 
20. “Having true friends is one of the biggest keys to happiness.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
21. “I want to be a good person, a good friend, but I don’t have time for games.” —Whitney Fleming, Life is too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends
22. “Fake friends just want to know your business and share your business.” —Ralph Waldo
 
23. “Parents notice your fake friends before you do.” —Unknown
 
24. “True friends are at peace with your dreams even if they disagree with your methods. Their priority is to make sure you know you can count on them.” —Unknown
25. “Don’t fear the enemy that attacks you, but the fake friend that hugs you.” —Unknown
 
26. “And I’m just too tired at the end of each day to pretend I’m something I’m not.” —Whitney Fleming, Life is too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends
 
27. “I just find it’s easier to get through this life if you’re pleasant.” —Whitney Fleming, Life is too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends
28. “Many times, fake friends do not feel good about who they are, so they lie about their accomplishments.” —Sherri Gordon, How to Spot Fake Friends in Your Life, VeryWellFamily
 
29. “Friends are supposed to be good for you.” —Mary Duenwald, Some Friends, Indeed, Do More Harm Than Good, NYTimes
 
30. “The romanticized ideal that friendships should not end or fail may create unnecessary distress in those who should end a friendship but hold on, no matter what.” —Jan Yager, When Friendship Hurts, 2002
Here is another list with deep, true friendship quotes.
Quotes about finding out who your real friends are
Finding out that our friends aren’t who we thought they were is always hard. It can be mind-blowing when we finally see the truly toxic impact that they have on our lives. The following quotes are all about when we find out who our friends truly are.
1. “It’s in the worst storms that you find out who your true friends are.” —Unknown
 
2. “You find out who your true friends are not when you’re on top of the world, but when the world is on top of you.” —Richard Nixon
 
3. “I think people need to realize that it is OK to walk away from friendships that aren’t good ones.” —Kira M. Newman, Why Your Friends Are More Important Than You Think
4. “If you want to find out who your real friends are, sink the ship. The first ones to jump aren’t your friends.” —Marilyn Manson
 
5. “The loss of a bad friendship should leave a person with more time and appreciation for good ones.” —Dr. Lerner quoted in Some Friends, Indeed, Do More Harm Than Good, NYTimes
 
6. “The only way to have a friend is to be one.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson
7. “You don’t lose friends. You just learn who your real friends are.” —Unknown
 
8. “I need friends who believe the best of me, even when I’m at my worst” —Whitney Fleming, Life is too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends
 
9. “You find out who your real friends are in times of struggle or need.” —Unknown
10. “I want friendships that fill me up, because no one is ever satisfied after eating fake cheese. And no one is ever satisfied spending time with fake friends.” —Whitney Fleming, Life is too Short for Fake Cheese and Fake Friends
 
11. “Letting go of fake friends can be hard. I know, I’ve been there. You don’t want to admit to yourself that friendship was an illusion.” —Sira Mas, Fake Friends
 
12. “I’m not even going to get mad anymore, I just have to learn to expect the lowest from people, even the ones I thought the highest of.” —Unknown
13. “Hard times will always reveal true friends.” —Unknown
 
14. “When you’re up, your friends know who you are; when you’re down, you know who your true friends are.” —Unknown
 
15. “Fake friends; once they stop talking to you, they start talking about you.” —Unknown
16. “Some people think that the truth can be hidden with a little cover-up and decoration. But as time goes by, what is true is revealed, and what is fake fades away.” —Ismail Haniyeh
 
17. “When we recognize a relationship isn’t serving us, it’s on us to walk away.” —Sarah Regan, How to Spot a Fake Friend, MBGRelationships
 
18. “When we say no to relationships that don’t serve us, we make room for relationships that do.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
19. “There comes a point in some unhealthy, unfulfilling relationships where the friendship bubble needs bursting.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
20. “You don’t feel comfortable, genuine, or emotionally secure around fake friends.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
Quotes about what real friends don’t do
Friends who care about you will treat you with love and respect. The following quotes can help you work out whether or not your friends truly support you.
1. “Real friends celebrate one another’s accomplishments.” —Sherri Gordon, How to Spot Fake Friends in Your Life, VeryWellFamily
 
2. “Real friends don’t get offended when you insult them. They smile and call you something even more offensive.” —Unknown
 
3. “Real friends are supportive and encouraging, but fake friends often criticize others or put [you] down.” —Sarah Regan, How to Spot a Fake Friend, MBGRelationships
4. “True friends don’t come and go in your life. They stay when it’s good. They support you when it’s bad. They stay loyal when everyone is not.” —Unknown
 
5. “Real friends will stick up for one another.” —Sherri Gordon, How to Spot Fake Friends in Your Life, VeryWellFamily
 
6. “True friends don’t judge each other, they just judge other people together.” —Unknown
7. “Unhealthy friendships are friendships that don’t provide you with love or support.” —Caitlin Killoren, 15 Signs That Prove Your Friendship is the Real Deal
 
8. “While genuine friends are true to their word, fake friends tend to be just the opposite.” —Sira Mas, Fake Friends
 
9. “True friends don’t judge, they adjust.” —Unknown
10. “Real friends stick around to the end. Fake friends will only be there when it’s beneficial to them.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
11. “Good friends will keep one another’s secrets.” —Sherri Gordon, How to Spot Fake Friends in Your Life, VeryWellFamily
 
12. “If your friend speaks to you or calls you names with the intent to hurt your feelings, you are experiencing a bad friendship.” —Dan Brennan, Signs of a Bad Friend, WebMD
13. “It’s more than just pulling away… the silent treatment is actually malicious.” —Dr. Yager quoted in Some Friends, Indeed, Do More Harm Than Good, NYTimes
 
14. “True friends don’t disappear when you have a problem.” —Unknown
 
15. “A fake friend is not going to uplift you the way a true friend does.” —Tiana Leeds quoted in How to Spot a Fake Friend, MBGRelationships
16.“A true friend won’t ditch you when something different comes along.” —Karen Bohannon
 
17. “A true friend will not treat you like a doormat.” —Unknown
 
18. “A quality friendship includes support, loyalty, and closeness—three things you cannot find in a fake friend.” —Tiana Leeds quoted in How to Spot a Fake Friend, MBGRelationships
19. “Frenemies are usually great at passive-aggressive comments, sarcastic tones, and enabling your bad behavior.” —Why Fake Friends Are Ruining You and How to End a Friendship, Scienceofpeople
 
20. “Some people constantly set up their friends… they’ll have a party, not invite the friend, but make sure he or she finds out.” —Dr. Yager quoted in Some Friends, Indeed, Do More Harm Than Good, NYTimes
Common questions
Is it possible to have a real friendship?
Yes, it is possible to have a real friendship. It’s important to realize that friendships can sometimes end, and people will hurt your feelings. But as long as you continue to try to make friends and be the best friend you can be, you will attract real friendships.
Do I have fake friends?
If you want to know if your friends are fake or not, there are simple ways to figure it out. Ask yourself if the relationship feels mutually beneficial. If you have a bad day, are they there to support you? Or are you the one doing most of the supporting? Real friends will have your back.
