Henry Miller on Friendship and the Relationship Between Creativity and Community

But no matter the medicinal virtues of being a true friend or sustaining a long close relationship with another, the ultimate touchstone of friendship is not improvement, neither of the other nor of the self, the ultimate touchstone is witness, the privilege of having been seen by someone and the equal privilege of being granted the sight of the es

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.”

“How do you define the word ‘friendship’?”12 Maslow began by defining a friend as someone who is truly “need-gratifying” and whose needs you want to gratify in return. He then defined the friendship of lovers as one where each other’s needs melt into one, as the partner’s needs become your needs.

Have Friends. ‘Tis a second existence.