Drew Hunter > Quotes

“Without friendship, the ring never would have made it, and Middle Earth would have been destroyed. Actually, we never would have imagined Middle Earth in the first place because, without friendship, Tolkien never would have finished writing the story. He said that it was only C. S. Lewis’s steady encouragement that kept him writing. Perhaps this is why the theme of friendship stands out so prominently in the story. In Tolkien’s day, authors only produced “fairy stories” (as they were called) for children, not adults. But Tolkien wrote for adults too. He eventually wrote The Lord of the Rings, but it was only because of his relationship with Lewis. Two years after Lewis died, Tolkien reflected on Lewis’s role in his life: The unpayable debt that I owe to him was not “influence” as it is ordinarily understood, but sheer encouragement. He was for long my only audience. Only from him did I ever get the idea that my “stuff” could be more than a private hobby. But for his interest and unceasing eagerness for more I should never have brought the L. of the R. to a conclusion.13 Lewis and Tolkien experienced true friendship. They knew that their experience was both wonderful and rare in their culture. This is why both men wrote to promote the joys of true friendship in their own day—Tolkien in The Lord of the Rings, and Lewis in The Four Loves.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“Two things are essential in this world—life, and friendship. Both must be prized highly, and not undervalued. They are nature’s gifts. We were created by God that we might live; but if we are not to live solitarily, we must have friendship. Augustine”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“This world is full of sorrow because it is full of sin. It is a dark place. It is a lonely place. It is a disappointing place. The brightest sunbeam in it is a friend. Friendship halves our troubles and doubles our joys.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“Friendship should be more like a submarine, holding few and going deep. But we’ve made it more like a cruise ship, filled with lots of nice people whom we don’t know well at all.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“Empathy shapes the whole tone of a relationship. Without it, we trade honoring friends for one-upping them. We trade affirmation for sarcasm. We trade talking with for talking at. We trade listening to sorrows for changing the subject.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“If you are his friend, then he has set his heart on you, and it will never be moved.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“We thank God for friendship, we treasure God above friendship, and we enjoy God through friendship.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“When thou hast found such a man, and proved the sincerity of his friendship; when he has been faithful . . . to thee, grapple him to thyself with hooks of steel and never let him go. Charles Spurgeon”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“We need to remember, therefore, that when friends tell us our faults, they are as Charles Spurgeon put it “performing on [our] behalf the most heroic act of pure charity.”13 Who wouldn’t want a friend like that?”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“Most of what we call friendship is little more than acquaintanceship. But acquaintanceship is to friendship what snorkeling is to deep-sea diving. Snorkeling is fine, but skimming along the surface isn’t exploring the deep.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“A.C Grayling put it best:

"If you think of someone who has no friends you see what can happen: a human being, like a neglected garden, may become rather overgrown--quite literally dirty and unkempt, unsocial, introverted; after a bit, eccentric or half mad. Social intercourse keeps people--quite literally--clean and reasonably polite, sane and functional."

Sometimes it takes a direct comment from a friend to change our behavior. But more often than not, it happens subtly and naturally. It happens without even trying, or even thinking about it. Like stones in a river, the waters of friendship smooth us out over time. As we submerge ourselves into the lives of our friends, they polish us and smooth over our jagged edges.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“In the heart of our Lord Jesus there burns such friendship towards us that all other forms of it are as dim candles to the sun.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys

“Friendship is an affectionate bond forged between two people as they journey through life with openness and trust.”
― Drew Hunter, Made for Friendship: The Relationship That Halves Our Sorrows and Doubles Our Joys