A Little Book of Friendship

by Ruskin Bond

‘There is no greater desert or wilderness than to be without true friends.’

In this beautiful collection, Ruskin Bond puts together his favourite sayings on friends and friendship. From his own observations, recorded over the years in his diaries, to famous sayings by celebrated writers, poets and philosophers, this is a delightful compilation of thoughts on love, friendship and family. Told with the heartwarming simplicity that characterizes Ruskin Bond, this book, much like a good friend, is one you can turn to at any time, for comfort and company.

Genres: Nonfiction, Poetry, Friendship, Self Help

118 pages, Hardcover

First published October 18, 2013

About the author

Ruskin Bond is an Indian author of British descent. He is considered to be an icon among Indian writers and children's authors and a top novelist. He wrote his first novel, The Room on the Roof, when he was seventeen which won John Llewellyn Rhys Memorial Prize in 1957. Since then he has written several novellas, over 500 short stories, as well as various essays and poems, all of which have established him as one of the best-loved and most admired chroniclers of contemporary India. In 1992 he received the Sahitya Akademi award for English writing, for his short stories collection, "Our Trees Still Grow in Dehra", by the Sahitya Akademi, India's National Academy of Letters in India. He was awarded the Padma Shri in 1999 for contributions to children's literature. He now lives with his adopted family in Landour near Mussoorie.

Reviews

[Reading_ Tamishly]

"People come to tell me of
your faults, dear friend.
They go over them, again
and again, and I nod and
listen patiently, for I have
known them too well. I
cannot expect these
well-wishers to see that
your faults have made me
love you more."

Love this collection of friendship quotes from the most prominent writers and great personalities.

I would like to point out that there is no original content by the author.
It's just a collection of quotes and a few proverbs on friendship.

[Udit Nair]

A little book series is a treasure to preserve and reread. There are just some quotes revolving around the key theme which is friendship here. Ruskin Bond has added some of his own observations too.

"‘I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.’—Plutarch"

[Ink&Paper]

As beautiful as all the other works by Ruskin Bond.. ✨✨🌌🌌

[Sachin Prabhu]

Marvelous collection of quotes by renowned philosophers, poets, authors and some proverbs on friendship and love. It's a quick read,sure to cherish and you may reminisce time spent with your friends

[Girish Joshi]

I received this book as a gift from one of my best-friends, Aditi Bhatt. It's a little book bound in a hardcover, and it's cute to carry around. The book is scribbled with quotations on friendship and some words of wisdom from the author Ruskin Bond. There are two blank pages at the end of every section where you can pen down your thoughts but I did not ink the book because to ink a cute little book with my hauntingly beautiful handwriting (those who have seen it, they know) is a blasphemy. So I read the book, and I read it again (because it was little, and also because I promised myself to go over the text again once I've read it) and thoughts of all the friends I've made in this dear like came to me. Some of the advices I read in these quotes resounded with the advices my father gives me on friendships. Some of the advices I already knew by walking in this life with my friends. But then there were things that made me think: even though I've had handful of friends in this life who I've loved and who have loved me, I still have a lot to learn about this big thing called Friendship.

[Sanjita Dahal]

A little book of friendship is the collection of favourite quotes on friendship by famous personalities. This book was dedicated to me by a friend of mine and I guess that's the reason why it will always be close to my heart ❤️

[Gurpreet Kaur]

Great read

[Suzan Amin Khoja]

This book is full of quotes about friendship and I loved how they are written so nicely and beautifully. It is a must-try for people seeking a smile and lovely read.

[Anusha Sridharan]

Amazing collection of quotes and references revolving around friendship. It has beautiful moments of depiction.
Each quote had a tale to narrate, all about friendship, in just a new light.

[Smitha Murthy]

This book would have been way better to read in print than on the Kindle. But even then, this compilation of quotes left me feeling a bit discontented. If I want to get quotes on friendship, there are many here on Goodreads. I came here seeking Ruskin Bond’s thoughts on friendship. Of those, sadly, the book doesn’t have many.

[Kesu]

Realised I am not the only one who keeps a diary or journal to note down quotes, favourite lines and insightful words.
A collection full of quotes and proverbs to live by.

[Aparna Prabhu]

“A great book is a friend that never lets you down.

You can return to it again and again and the joy first

derived from it will still be there.”

That's how I feel about Ruskin Bond’s books. His stories that are set in the lap of nature spanning across different genres have enthralled the readers for so many years. 

‘A little book of friendship’ contains words of wisdom straight from the author’s journal. Some are his own while others are from well-known names in literature. Ruskin Bond has dedicated this book to his father who, according to him is the ‘ideal companion’, ‘the best friend’ a young boy could ever have.

“As I put together this little book of thoughts

and sayings on friendship,

I invoke his blessing…for to live in the hearts of

those we leave behind is

never to die.”

Prominent voices of literature have given various perspectives on friendship. According to W. H. Auden, it is a ‘language that is difficult to speak’, while Dina Mariah Craik says that friendship stands the test of time when one can ‘sit or walk in perfect silence without wearing of one another's company. Ruskin Bond reminisces his past and friendships by documenting them in the form of verses. Again, nature plays an integral part.

My key takeaway from this book is that friendship has to be nurtured for it to bloom. It can come from the unlikeliest corners when you are least anticipating it.

"A mountain stream is the most comforting of friends.
Once you have lived with it,
you will find that it is always
there to listen to your thoughts
and share your solitude"

[Megha]

Quotes handpicked by Ruskin Bond and his own pearls of wisdom fill most of the pages of this sweet, little book. The remaining are left blank for us, the readers, to fill them up with our own words of love, life and friendship every time a melody plays in our hearts. 💫🎶
.
.
A Book not to be read, but contemplated on.
Cheers!

[Abhinav Mahajan]

Collection of thoughts and quotes from various famous works of poets, authors etc on friendship.

Nice collection of quotes on friendships written in different novels, poems, stories, philosophies or traditions. Nice way to freshen your mood.

[Gooogleion]

It takes years to grow a forest and seconds to destroy it. Friendships are like dense Amazonian forests that hundreds of thousands of years to build and seconds to end. The biodiversity of the forest is the memories we make!

[Sussane]

Best

[Yogesh pandey]

Nice collection

Few of them just move you. I would recommend it to all my friends. Possibly, it will give new realm of possibility

[Nilanjana Das]

Let few of the favorites of Ruskin Bond, be Favorites of Yours.

[Namita Barthwal]

Amazing collection. It lightens, brightens and enlightens the heart! <3

[Priti R]

A wonderful collection of quotes- beautiful words and such a beautiful hardbound edition!
A real keepsake to have and to gift a friend.

[Pri]

Cute. Short. Sweet.

The books from this series are the cabinet, kitchen, bathtub, living room side little books to simply devour on any day you feel low.

[Dhwani]

A treasure of a book

[Moushmi Radhanpara]

A small collection of quotes by various writers and honest, sincere thoughts by Ruskin Bond on friendship and the permanence of it. Short, quick and beautiful. A bond to be cherished.

[shrutee]

We must love someone
If we are to justify
Our presence on this earth.
We must keep loving all
Our days,
Someone, anyone, anywhere
Outside ourselves. 💙

[Arpita]

‘As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.’⭐️

Mesmerized by the collection of quotes in this book!

[Sun]

My friend forced me to read this and ngl few quotes were pretty good but some just didn't make sense and few were out of proportion... The calligraphy was amazing though

[LeaBeth | BookTime]

“Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” -J.M. Barrie

[Priii]

this book feels soo goodd!!! every single word here makes you think of someone. i devoured it in a night, all along thinking of clap❤

[Mahesh K Adewar]

Small and wonderful!!!

[Vijayalakshmi]

Just a good collection of quotes on friendship.