Proverb Expansion
The proverb gives a definition of the qualification of a good friend. True friendship can be judged only at the time of a crisis. A real friend is one who helps us in trouble. A man will have a number of friends when he lives in prosperity. But many of them will not be there when he is in trouble or in adversity. Those friends who remain with him even in his adversity are his real friends. The friends who desert us when we are in trouble are not our real friends, but our enemies. A real friend is ready to help his friend even if he is not in a position to help. Seeing the friend in difficulty, a real friend can never feel at ease. A real friend sacrifices all that he can to help his friend who is in need of help. The true test of the real worth of a friend is our adversity. Prosperity makes friends and adversity drives them away. We need not have too many friends. The few that are must be good. A sincere friend is worthier than wealth.