15 Quotes About Best Friends To Live By

Most of us dedicate our lives to finding the perfect romantic relationship, completely forgetting that regular old friendships are just as important. Friends are the ones you run to when you're in trouble, who are there for you no matter what, who put up with all your crap, and who support you all the way. Best friends do all that and add a few extra rays of sunshine to your day. It can be just as hard to find a good best friend as it can be to find a good boyfriend or girlfriend and rest assured that it's better to have a handful of true friends than hundreds of people you can party with but can't call when your life is falling apart. To put it simply, good friends are a necessity, even if we're super independent and love hanging out on our own. Here is what 15 famous people (and creatures!) had to say about friendship.

15 Cher

The "Strong Enough" singer had this to say about her own group of friends: "I can trust my friends. These people force me to examine myself, encourage me to grow." We think that's an amazing way to put it, and definitely a quote we should be taking note of! Good friends are not only people you can trust but are people who are good for you because they do things which provoke you to grow. That might be questioning you when you make mistakes and can't get yourself back on track, or reminding you to have a long, hard think when you're about to make a terrible decision. The best BFFEs will leave you no choice but to grow and improve in a multitude of ways, whether it's by trying hard not to repeat the same mistakes in the future or consciously going about your life in a better way. Besties rock!

14 Marilyn Monroe

Though she was total eye candy in her day, Marilyn Monroe is now often thought of as a fountain of wisdom, and we can see why. Among many other bits and pieces of advice that only the smartest of cookies could have come up with, Monroe said this about friendship and romance: "Experts on romance say for a happy marriage there has to be more than a passionate love. For a lasting union, they insist, there must be a genuine liking for each other. Which, in my book, is a good definition for friendship." Sometimes, friendships do blossom into relationships, because to begin with, two people really like each other. Even if it starts off platonic, that genuine respect and fondness for each other is what the best romances are made of. Your BFF may never evolve into anything else, but that isn't the point. Good friendships are just as important.

13 Elizabeth Taylor

Queen of the cinema, Elizabeth Taylor also knew a thing or two about what makes a good friend, and how to filter out the bad seeds of the friendship group. This is what she said: "You find out who your real friends are when you're involved in a scandal." Ain't that the truth! People might seem like amazing friends when the sun is shining and everything is dandy, but when things get tough, the silver lining is you'll be able to see who's there for you and who isn't. The people who aren't might be good for a drink on the weekend, but we wouldn't recommend heavily investing in those kinds of friendships! Scandals, in particular, are useful for uncovering fake friends because you'll not only discover who isn't there for you, but who feeds into gossip, will turn on you and can develop malicious intentions overnight. Those people aren't worth your time!

12 Muhammad Ali

Legendary boxer Muhammad Ali didn't seem like he'd be the best person to ask for friendship advice, but it turns out he knew his stuff! This is what he had to say when asked about friendship: “Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It's not something you learn in school. But if you haven't learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven't learned anything.” We feel like he hits the nail on the head here because he's really saying that mastering the art of friendship is more important than learning the other stuff that we as a society place so much emphasis on. He seems to be saying that he'd rather be a bad businessman than a bad friend! We like this quote because it also suggests that friendship is tricky, and you might spend a lifetime getting it right, which is fine as long as you're trying!

11 C.S. Lewis

Author C.S. Lewis is loved around the world for bringing us The Chronicles of Narnia and many other great novels, but he also knew what he was talking about when it came to friendships. While others have had a hard time in the past trying to put a definition to friendship, Lewis explains it perfectly here: "Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: 'What! You too? I thought I was the only one." We couldn't have said it better ourselves! Sometimes, friendship isn't about who you've known the longest or who you see the most in your life, but instead, it's about being tied together by a single similarity over which you can bond. Haven't we all had those moments where it seems like our BFFs are the only people who understand how much we hate coriander? Or who also secretly think a detestable TV character is hot?!

10 Albus Dumbledore

Of course, the Harry Potter series has provided us with ample quotes about friendship, since the bond between Harry, Ron and Hermione is one of the strongest we've ever seen. So it was hard to pick just one quote, but we decided to go with this one, which happens to come from the walking source of wisdom himself, Albus Dumbledore: “It takes a great deal of bravery to stand up to your enemies, but just as much to stand up to your friends." This quote, from Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, is absolutely spot on! While friends are amazing and improve our lives, it can be ridiculously hard to stand up to them when the need arises. It's much easier to say what needs to be said to someone you don't like than it is to do the same to your BFF! But if they're good friends, you'll be able to.

9 Olaf

If you were too old to see Disney's Frozen when it came out, do yourself a favor and see it now! It might not be the same kind of Disney classic that we grew up with, but the new Disney animations certainly have their own charm and are full of insight! In Frozen, one of the cutest sidekicks ever, a talking snowman named Olaf, says this about his friendship with Anna: “Some people are worth melting for.” Gosh, open the window and let some of the cuteness out! This is a totally true statement, because every now and then, a friend will enter your life who is worth “melting for”. Okay, realistically you aren't a snowman so you won't have to melt for anyone, but you will be given the chance to make other sacrifices for your friends. Whether it's a sacrifice of time, money or anything else, some friends are worth it!

8 Donkey

It's been a few years and we're all adults now, but you can't have forgotten about the original lovable animated sidekick-Donkey from Shrek. Donkey developed a strong and unique friendship with the grumpy ogre in the end, even though it took a while for Shrek to warm up. Donkey takes an immediate liking to Shrek, who tries to push him away with insults and intimidation (breaking all our hearts because Donkey is adorable!). While Shrek is saying mean things to him, Donkey responds with this: “Only a true friend would be that truly honest.” While the things Shrek says are motivated by his own insecurities, in real life, BFFEs should tell each other the truth even when it's prickly. Instead of telling you harsh “truths” to boost their own egos, they should tell you what you need to hear so you can open your own eyes. Good friends don't lie!

7 Dorothy

The Wizard of Oz is one of the most beloved stories of our time, and it just so happens to be a fine display of friendship! The scarecrow, the tin man, and the cowardly lion don't know Dorothy very long, but they immediately show her how loyal they are, and how true friends should act. She even says this one to them: “Oh, you're the best friends anybody ever had. And it's funny, but I feel as if I'd known you all the time, but I couldn't have, could I?” This might be alluding to the fact that her three new friends are actually people who she already knew on the farm, but we can learn something from it about our own friendships! It really isn't about who's been there for years and years. You know you've found a genuine new friend when you feel like it's been that long, even if it hasn't!

6 Emma Watson

Can Emma Watson ever do anything wrong? We don't think so! In between bringing our favorite fairy-tales and book characters to life on the big screen and executing impressive humanitarian work around the world, Emma Watson can also teach us a thing or two about the qualities of a good friend. She said this about her own friendships: “My two best girlfriends are from secondary school. I don't have to explain anything to them. I don't have to apologize for anything. They know.” We love this because this is exactly how good friends should be and you shouldn't accept anything less! Bonus if you've kept friends from school, but that's not really important. What matters is that your friends don't judge you for living your life your way. You shouldn't be apologizing for that, and just because they don't understand, they shouldn't require an explanation. Their trust in you should be enough!

5 Genie

Get the tissues, guys! Talking about the late Robin Williams voicing one of the most iconic Disney characters ever and dishing out sentimental friendship advice in the process is too much for our young hearts! During his role as Genie in Aladdin, Robin Williams was mostly hilarious and over the top, but at the end, there were a few emotional moments. After Aladdin wishes Genie free and so gives up on the prospect of becoming a prince magically, the Genie says this to him: “No matter what anybody says. You'll always be a prince to me.” Bless! This says so much about the way we see our friends. Even though they might see themselves as inadequate, or they might notice how they're failing, you will always see the best in them. And your job is to remind them how amazing they are in your eyes, just as they probably do to you!

4 Selena Gomez

As part of Taylor Swift's famous it-girl squad, it's only natural that Selena Gomez would have some nice words to say about the megastar. She summed up her relationship with T-Swizzle like this: “Every single problem I ever have is healable by Taylor Swift. If I ever I have an issue, Taylor has gone through it - she gives the most thought-out answers. And what I love about Taylor is that she does believe in the whole love story and Prince Charming and soul mates. Because of her, I haven't lost faith.” If that's how all the girls in that clique relate to each other, then we are totally jealous of their group! What Selena described is exactly what a friend should be, and they're good words to remember when you're reconsidering your friendship with somebody. BFFEs should try and help with problems, even when they can't give advice and restore the faith.

3 Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston has some top-quality advice when it comes to friendships, and we wouldn't expect anything less from the girl who starred on FRIENDS. She makes things interesting by comparing friends to family here: "We come from homes far from perfect, so you end up almost parent and sibling to your friends - your own chosen family. There's nothing like a really loyal, dependable, good friend. Nothing." Truer words have never been spoken! Lots has been written about the importance of family, and while that's true in a perfect world, some people have families that just suck. Plain and simple. Even if your whole family isn't a problem, nearly everyone has that one member who's a joke… we bet they just popped into your mind! So just because a friend doesn't share your blood or your name, doesn't mean they can't be as close or closer to you than those who do.

2 Dory

Finding Nemo's Dory is like the queen of friendships! After spending the majority of her life alone due to her short-term memory loss, Dory recognizes that she's stumbled across something great when she becomes friends with Marlon, and has this phenomenal line for us: “Trust. It's what friends do.” Marlon is pretty uptight, so even though she's spent a long time alone, Dory has to teach him how to let go and trust your friends. She's so right because there's not much point in having a friendship if you don't trust each other. She also says this tearjerker to Marlon when he wants to go off alone: “I look at you and I'm home.” A lot of circumstances in life are totally out of control, but having good friends provides a sense of stability and kind of does give you a non-physical place to call home. Ah, so many feelings!

1 Samantha Jones

Trust Sam Jones to come up with the top BFFE quote on our list! On the surface, Sex and the City is all about men and finding love, but if you look deeper, and specifically pay attention to some of the things the ladies say over the years, it's clear that it's actually about friendship. In the second SATC movie, after all four girls have been through hell and back with their love lives, Samantha says this: “We made a deal ages ago. Men, babies; it doesn't matter. We're soulmates.” Yass, girl! This is all about making room for your friends so they can be the foundation on which you build your life, and putting time and effort into them so you've got something left when everything else comes crumbling down. Yup, friends really are forever, and if these 15 quotes about BFFs are any indication, that is never going to change.