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Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.
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“Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.”

Proverbs

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Source
King James Bible — Proverbs 27:6
Date
1611
English wording
King James Version translation committees · from Biblical Hebrew / Aramaic / Koine Greek
Meaning

Meaning of “Faithful are the wounds of a friend; but…”

Honest correction from a real friend may hurt more than flattery, but its purpose and reliability make it more valuable.

Source context

Where does it come from?

Proverbs 27:6, King James Version.

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Themes

Ideas connected with this quotation

FriendshipHonestyRelationshipShortTrustTruthFake Friends And Fake PeopleListeningLoyaltyWords of Wisdom: Practical & Philosophical Counsel
Related quotations

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Before him, I may think aloud.
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“Before him, I may think aloud.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Essays, First Series — Friendship · 1841
Meaning & context

The line describes the relief of a friendship in which thought can be expressed openly before it is polished for public judgment.

Source details

Essays: First Series, “Friendship” (1841), verified against Project Gutenberg #2944 and the 1907 Merrill/Turpin page witness in Project Gutenberg #16643, printed page 126. “Before him, I may think aloud” immediately continues Emerson’s definition of sincerity in friendship and belongs to the same Truth passage as the preceding catalog record.

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A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.
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“A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.”

Ralph Waldo Emerson · Essays, First Series — Friendship · 1841
Meaning & context

Friendship permits unusual honesty because the relationship is secure enough to hold unguarded thought without constant performance.

Source details

Essays: First Series, “Friendship” (1841), verified against Project Gutenberg #2944 and the 1907 Merrill/Turpin page witness in Project Gutenberg #16643, printed page 126. Emerson names Truth as one of friendship’s two sovereign elements and says “A friend is a person with whom I may be sincere.” This collection preserves the essay’s idealizing moral argument rather than treating unrestricted disclosure as universally safe or appropriate.

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Regard him as loyal, and you will make him loyal.
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“Regard him as loyal, and you will make him loyal.”

Seneca · Moral Letters to Lucilius — Letter 3 · c. 63–65
Meaning & context

Seneca suggests that suspicion can become self-reinforcing: treating a chosen friend as trustworthy helps create the conditions for candid, reciprocal friendship rather than teaching defensiveness from the outset.

Source details

Moral Letters to Lucilius, Letter 3, Richard M. Gummere translation. Seneca immediately contrasts this with people who fear deception so strongly that their suspicions help teach others to deceive them.

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Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure.
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“Seldom, very seldom, does complete truth belong to any human disclosure.”

Jane Austen · Emma · 1815
Voice: Narrator voice · Narrator
Meaning & context

Austen observes that even sincere accounts can contain omission, disguise, or misunderstanding, which makes careful listening and humility important in judging what people say.

Source details

Emma, Volume III, Chapter XIII, scan-backed 1816 John Murray first edition on Wikisource. The narrator observes that complete truth seldom belongs to any human disclosure while explaining that even the Emma–Knightley understanding contains mistaken conduct alongside genuine feeling.

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