| The Columbia World of Quotations. 1996. |
| |
| |
| NUMBER: | 63336 |
| QUOTATION: | Be courteous to all, but intimate with few, and let those few be well tried before you give them your confidence. True friendship is a plant of slow growth, and must undergo and withstand the shocks of adversity before it is entitled to the appellation. |
| ATTRIBUTION: | George Washington (17321799), U.S. general, president. Letter, Jan. 15, 1783. |
| |
| | | The Columbia World of Quotations. Copyright © 1996 Columbia University Press. |
|
|