proverb · Legacy record
Search for a friend with no faults, and you will remain with no friends.
Search for a friend with no faults, and you will remain with no friends.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
The saying leaves a search for a faultless friend without friends. It warns that requiring perfection can exclude real relationships.
What the words are saying
The consequence is rhetorical rather than a forecast of everyone’s social life. A useful interpretation distinguishes ordinary imperfection from conduct that violates a boundary. Lowering an impossible ideal need not mean ignoring harm or treating all flaws as equivalent.
Everyday example
Someone accepts an ordinary mistake while still discussing a pattern that affects trust.
When to use it
Use it to examine perfection expectations with boundaries retained.
Put a useful idea into practice: try the free seven-day guide ↗
What it does not mean
Rejecting perfection does not require overlooking harmful conduct.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided proverb reference
Supplied reference A; unit 711; PDF page 102
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.