An old friend is better than a new two sense. The meaning of the proverb “An old friend is better than two new ones. About the meaning of the proverb "An old friend is better than two new ones"
Have man has never had so many and so few friends at the same time as in our days. Paradoxically, high communication skills and the ability to easily make acquaintances do not mean at all that it is also easy for people to build true friendships.
True friendship ... Over the centuries, poets, philosophers, and then scientists have tried to comprehend the essence and purpose of this category. Each epoch is characterized by its own ideals, therefore, friendship between people was "painted" in the tone of the current realities. Thus, it is rather difficult for a modern person living in a pragmatic society to understand the super-sentimentalism that pervades friendly relations in the 18th-19th centuries.
The desire to get pleasure from communicating with another person, with whom neither family nor love relationships are associated, an alliance born of the fulfillment of joint duties - a military brotherhood, a desire to see oneself in another individual - as you can see, friendship is dependent on growth and constant rethinking of spiritual and the intellectual needs of a person.
Friendship, as a moral and ethical category, tightly affecting interpersonal relations, could not remain unnoticed in the folklore of different peoples, in particular in proverbs and sayings. At the same time, unlike the literary works created at the same time when this or that folk wisdom was born, friendly relations, and the very concept of friendship in proverbs was by no means idealized. Hence, along with the chanting of brotherhood and comradeship, advice to look for and protect friends, the people in their statements warned against betrayal and treachery of friends, noted the dependence of friendship on material wealth and its sensitivity to changes in the social position of one of the comrades.
"An old friend is better than two new ones" is a Russian proverb that is still very often used by people when they want to emphasize the value and significance of old affections and connections. Today, friendship is most often defined as a personal, selfless relationship between people based on mutual sympathy, trust, spiritual closeness, and common interests. Strong friendships can arise not only during the childhood and adolescence of a person, but also at a more mature age. Sometimes student friendship completely "overrides" school sympathies. Therefore, the first part of the saying should not be interpreted literally. In this case, we are talking about attachment, proven not only over the years, but also by serious life tests.
Changes in a person's life almost always affect not only himself, but also those close to him. Growing up, the emergence of new hobbies, a change of place of residence, a change of job, the creation of a family are the most common reasons why old friendships break up or weaken and new ones are born. Such a process is natural for a person, since through the establishment of new connections it is easier for him to integrate into an unfamiliar social environment or to get used to a changed social status. But why is the adage so categorical in relation to new friends?
As noted above, the experience of friendship, exceptional trust, is not so important as the mutual confidence that arises during this period between people as a result of jointly transferred pleasant and especially unpleasant life situations. Close friends, “who have eaten a pound of salt together,” firmly know that each of them will definitely help the other, no matter in word or deed. New comrades may favorably differ from old friends with a higher moral level, an attractive moral character, but, as the Russian proverb says: "An untested friend - that a nut is not chopped!" That is why an old (tested) friend is better than two new (untested) ones.
Despite the fact that the proverb "Old friend ..." is most often mentioned in situations related to relationships between friends, folk wisdom can also be used in cases where someone wants to emphasize the reliability of something familiar, tested - method, skill, mechanism and the like, compared to fashionable novelties. For example, fidelity to the habit of going to a simple hairdresser to the same master, even if several ultra-fashionable beauty salons open at once nearby.
Today the concept of friendship is being filled with new content. However, such processes always took place as soon as humanity moved away from some economic and socio-cultural standards to others. The adult generation, whose friendly relations arose long before the modern informatization of society, often reproach young people for the absence of any friends, and for the unwillingness and inability to make friends, as they say, really, live. Although such complaints are well-grounded, yet a person's need for a sincere and warm relationship has not outlived itself. So, “the only way to find a friend is to be one”!
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On this page: an article about the meaning (meaning) of the proverb "An old friend is better than two new ones."
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Each person has many things, without which his life would be empty and meaningless. These are spiritual and moral values, and family, and love, and, of course, friendship. “An old friend is better than two new ones” - this is how a well-known Russian proverb says. Moreover, such a friend, or better not even one, is needed by a child, and a schoolboy, and an endlessly busy businessman, and a rich man, and an old man who has retired.
True friendship is always based on the common interests of people, on mutual support, trust and understanding in any life situations. If people do not have common interests and they have practically nothing to talk about, they will never become real friends, but, at best, they will just be friends.
A real friend will not constantly talk about his problems - he will definitely listen to you first. Moreover, it is not necessary to discuss any problems with him. It is always a good time to have a good time with a real friend, to relax and have fun. Communication with a friend will not be annoying and you can spend hours with him without worrying that he is tired of you. True friends are known not only in trouble, but also in joy.
Unfortunately, many of us do not value our friends and believe that we can easily get along with friends. Such people remember real friends only in the hours of their misfortunes and troubles. Of course, their friends most often respond to requests for help, advice and support, but they have every right to refuse this. It is safe to say that someday in the life of such people the moment will come when they will feel that they lack something, something very dear and close, as if a piece of soul is a true friend. The main thing is that it is not too late.
You can't buy a friend or just find a friend on the street. Friendship does not arise immediately, and these complex relationships develop for more than one day. They do not arise as love at first sight - immediately and out of nothing. Friendship needs to be built over a long period of time, laying out every brick of it, every step of it. It is very hard work - to win the trust of a person and make a friendship with him, strengthen it and then preserve it for a long time and not lose it.
The ability to be a true friend is also not given to everyone. For example, vain, proud, and materialistic people are unlikely to be capable of true friendship. This is quite understandable, because they love only themselves and in friendship they try to find only their own benefit.
Friendship is very important to me. I hope that it is also important to my best friend, whom I respect and appreciate very much. My old friend is one of the most dear people in my life, and I do not want to lose him under any pretext. I spent a lot of time with him, I know him well, I am sure that he will never let me down. But in any other person with whom I communicate and consider my friend, I am so not sure. Therefore, you should never forget old friends, you should find at least a few minutes of free time for a phone call to your friend, to the question of how he is doing.
Call your old friends, ask about their plans, problems, health, invite them over and spend as much time with them as possible. And most importantly, never betray your friends and always remember that an old friend is better than two new ones.
Usually the expression “An old friend is better than two new ones” sounds like an edification to those who, forgetting their loved ones, are looking for the company of new, and, as it sometimes seems, more interesting acquaintances. You can also hear these words from a person who repented of having neglected this popular wisdom.
About the meaning of the proverb "An old friend is better than two new ones"
For the first time this proverb saw the light of day in printed form in "Proverbs and Russian Sayings of the Russian People" by V.I. Dahl in 1853. Its meaning is that you should value the constancy of time-tested relationships, just as you should not rely on little-known people who have not yet shown themselves in difficult circumstances - in relation to you or others.
The saying can be illustrated by the example of a situation when a person gets a new job; At the same time, his circle of contacts is expanding, and attention is now concentrated more on new acquaintances and colleagues than on old friends or even relatives who become, as it were, less significant or even unnecessary. Most often, this is a temporary phenomenon, gradually everything returns to square one, and then the words are heard about friends, whom they begin to appreciate even more. The main thing is that the situation does not go too far, when words are no longer needed, and there are no more friends - neither old nor new.
This aphorism was often referred to by writers - V.A. Zhukovsky in "Epigrams", A.N. Ostrovsky in the comedy of the same name, A.F. Pisemskiy in "The Shaken Sea", A.G. Aleksin in "A Very Scary Story"; a song with such lines was written on the verses of E. Yevtushenko, they can be heard from the stage and from the screen.
Analogues of expression in the languages of the world
The fact that this wisdom is truly popular is also evidenced by numerous foreign analogues:
Old friends and old wine are the best - Old friends and old wine are the best.
Ein alter Freund ist zwei neue wert (German) - One old friend is worth two new ones.
Un amigo viejo vale por cien nueves (Spanish) - One old friend is better than a hundred new ones.
However, even folk wisdom ceases to be wisdom if it is perceived as an absolute and immutable dogma. It is a great success if devotees, beloved and loving people go hand in hand with us all our lives, but the time, circumstances, our environment, we ourselves change, and it may be wiser to adhere to a more flexible analogue of the proverb - “Make new friends, but not old lose "?
Everyone for himself can describe its meaning in different ways, but the meaning always remains the same - it is complete mutual understanding and support in any situation. When we feel bad, we turn to our friend for help, when it’s good, too, we notify the very first about the joyful events of our friend. In a word, without a real friend, as without water - and neither here nor there. Wherever you are, you should constantly feel him mentally next to you.
A friend is an ambulance under any circumstance. Only he has the right to understand our state of mind, give sensible advice and simply help to get out of the dead end in life. True, a real friend is very difficult to find. Most likely, this is not just a find, but a gift of fate. According to ancient Chinese precepts, it is given by heaven in behavior, and if a person does not know how to behave, then he will not have a devoted comrade.
In our world, true friendship is when you constantly feel the support of an old friend next to you. It is an old friend who is a reliable support. This is a trusted friend who, despite the time, still stays with you, bringing joy and good advice. Of course, getting such a friend is quite problematic. Money can’t buy it and don’t get it as a birthday present. However, many of us have an old friend whom we are certainly very happy with. With its help, you can move mountains, knowing that behind your back is a loyal and proven acquaintance for years.
It says: "An old friend is better than two new ones." And this is not just a statement, it is a fact confirmed by life. Consider the following situation. One girl named Tatiana lived only with illusions about real friendship, not knowing its real signs. Even from school, next to her was a girl of ordinary appearance, whose name was Olya. She was always ready to come to the rescue of her friend: she gave to write off and did her homework, and wrote beautiful love notes. School years are over. The girls went to different universities. Nevertheless, our "gray mouse" never forgot about her beautiful friend, who, unlike her, had long ago thrown her school assistant out of her head. Tatyana was looking for and picking up her friends in a wallet and a love affair. She believed that it was precisely such women of fashion with whom her outlook on life completely coincided, were her friends. Several years have passed. Her old friend Olya called Tatiana every month. Tanya did not like this, she believed that with the end of school, friendship with Olga came to an end. Olya was a shy girl, so she tried not to make acquaintances with her peers. For her, Tanya remained an idol and a real friend all the same. But, soon a misfortune happened. Tatyana became ill, she was admitted to the hospital. One kidney transplant was required. But who will be the donor? Time accelerated its pace, Tanya faded every day. None of her friends came to her hospital. Only Olya, having learned that Tanya was in trouble, immediately flew to her room. Tatiana burst into tears, but Olga consoled her as best she could. In addition, Olga, like an old friend of Tanya, donated her kidney for the sake of her friend. Operation was successfully completed. Soon Tatyana returned to the university. After such an incident, she realized that her old friend Olga is a gift from fate itself, which it is simply a sin to refuse. How many insults Olga experienced from Tanya, but still she proved her devotion not in words, but in deeds.
As you can see, an old friend is a person who will sacrifice a lot for you. There may be many friends, but an old friend is better than new ones, and this is certainly true. Remember, it is better to have one old friend than many new companions. You don't know them, and they don't know you either.