It’s difficult to stand by and bear witness to our loved ones experiencing hardship. We may feel helpless and at a loss, wishing we could swoop in to save our friends from the pain they’re going through.
These times can put any friendship through its paces. Married couples vow to be there for each other “for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health,” and there is an implicit promise in companionship that we’ll do the same. We swear — silently or otherwise — that we’ll be there by our friend’s side to ride out the highs and lows of life together, and we hope they’ll return the favor when we face our own struggles.
No one’s life is fun and carefree all the time, and being abandoned by “fair-weather friends” in the midst of suffering can make people feel even lonelier in a time of crisis. When our friends are faced with adversity, the best thing we can offer them is our presence: a listening ear, a helping hand, a shoulder to cry on.
In that spirit, here are 11 quotes to share with your friends when they’re facing life’s tougher moments.
May you always know you have my hand to hold.J.J. Heller
Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it.Helen Keller
I see your fear, and it’s big. I also see your courage, and it’s bigger.Glennon Doyle
There are moments when tribulations occur in our lives, and we cannot avoid them. But they are there for some reason … Only when we have overcome them do we understand why they were there.Paulo Coelho
It always helps to have people we love beside us when we have to do difficult things in life.Fred Rogers
There is something you must remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we’re apart, I’ll always be with you.Christopher Robin (Frankie J. Galasso) in “Pooh’s Grand Adventure”
Being a successful person is not necessarily defined by what you have achieved, but by what you have overcome.Fannie Flagg
We’re here for a reason. I believe a bit of the reason is to throw little torches out to lead people through the dark.Whoopi Goldberg
If you remain calm in the midst of great chaos, it is the surest guarantee that it will eventually subside.Julie Andrews
Every adversity has the seed of an equivalent or greater benefit.Napoleon Hill
Life is short, but it is wide. This too shall pass.Rebecca Wells
Featured image credit: Vittorio Zunino Celotto/ Getty Images Entertainment via Getty Images
