Real friends understand, and because they understand they are capable of forgiving.

Real friends naturally boost your self-esteem and in turn, helping out a good friend [in this way] can help you feel better about yourself as well.

Real friends identify them in a mindful manner not to be spiteful, but for accountability’s sake. “They’re able to point out some of the negative things you’re doing in addition to the positive,” Rowney says. “They really support you on both sides.”

A real friend stays present in the moment by paying attention to your needs along with theirs.

How many times have you tried to have a conversation with someone, only for that person to turn the topic back to him or herself? Somehow the venting moments and the catch-up sessions aren’t quite as fulfilling. Conversations with real friends aren’t one-sided.

Being able to have an open, two-way dialogue with someone improves the chances that the relationship is going to be stronger.

People who are good listeners validate other people’s feelings,It shows that what they’re saying makes sense.

It’s one thing to have friends who provide support during times of success. But genuine friends are there through all of our peaks and valleys — the grief, the joy, the failures and everything in between.

To be able to know someone enough and to trust them enough to even allow them to support you through tough times is a sign of real friendships, the people who are in your life like that are about as close to family as you can get.

Genuine friends can sense duress — and thereby assist in making better decisions, Rowney says. And even when we’re not looking for advice, their presence alone can calm us. One 2011 study found that just spending time with a best friend can help beat stress.

While genuine friends celebrate our every accomplishment, they also remind us of our roots. Good friends will keep you in check to some degree and not let your head get oversized, they know the deep-down, base version of you. So not only will they support you when you succeed,but they remind you of where you came from.

Close friends always step up and take the initiative — even if it’s something the other person may not want to hear. Supportiveness is crucial in friendships.

Honesty isn’t always an easy thing, but it’s important to your bond. Swallowing that pill and being the best friend you can by being open with them always works out better.

Rowney says real friends not only stick with us as we grow, but they also make us want to be better versions of ourselves. Friends aren’t just confidants, but role models. Their kindness and other attributes, genuine friends bring out the best in us — which is one of the greatest gifts they could ever give.

Much like with family members, you can go extended stretches of weeks or months without talking and hanging out consistently, yet there’s no doubts about your relationship. Schedules get busy, circumstances arise, but your friendship remains fully intact.

Rarely do you discover anything about what’s going on with them on social networks. You don’t need Facebook to tell you it’s their birthday, or Instagram to see who they were with and where they went last night.

They don’t let you do anything stupid – at least not by yourself.

During the lowest of lows, they don’t give up on you even if you’ve given up on yourself.

There are silences, but they don’t feel the least bit uncomfortable or awkward. If you can sit down and shut up with a person, never feeling obligated to fill that hushed void, you’ve got a special connection. 

True friends make you want to be a better person, just because they make you feel happy, positive and remind you just how amazing you are. They enhance your life and make you want to strive to be the best you can be. True friends look for the good in the bad, not the bad in every situation.

A true friend will always be honest, no matter how hard the situation is. Sure, not everybody is brutally honest, but true friends will tell you if they hear your boyfriend is cheating on you, they will tell you that you have lipstick on your teeth and most importantly, they won’t lie to you about the little things.

One of the biggest indicators of true friendship is if the other person allows you to be yourself, with no judgement. If they’re putting you down about the way you look, act, think or behave, chances are they’re not true friends and want to change you to suit their agenda.

Some people fall off the grid or stop hanging out with their friends once they are in a relationship. Real friends try to balance it out and make time for you.

Real friends are basically free therapists. They will sit you down when you’re upset, listen to you explain your problem and give their honest advice on how to help you, whereas fake friends ignore your problems and focus on themselves.

True friendship multiplies the good in life and divides its evils. Strive to have friends, for life without friends is like life on a desert island… to find one real friend in a lifetime is good fortune; to keep him is a blessing.

True friends bring out the best in you. They make your life sweeter with their words, their presence, their actions, and behaviors. They enhance you, they enhance your life, and they make you want to become a better person.

True friends inspire you to live your life to your full potential, to be better, not bitter, and to constantly look for the good in the bad, and the beautiful in the ugly.  Always remember, true friends, make you better, not bitter…

Friends can help each other. A true friend is someone who lets you have total freedom to be yourself – and especially to feel. Or, not feel. Whatever you happen to be feeling at the moment is fine with them. That’s what real love amounts to – letting a person be what he really is.

Your true friends, the people who truly love you, will never try convince you that you should be anything other than yourself. They give you the permission to just be. To be yourself, unapologetically, loving you for you, and not for who they think you should be. True friends give you permission to be yourself.

True friends rekindle your inner spirit by constantly reminding you of who you truly are underneath it all. Because they because they can see beyond all your insecurities, they will constantly remind you of who you truly are underneath it all, helping you tap into your inner beauty, wisdom, greatness, and power.

True friends will help you to live your life from a place of truth, light, love and integrity, no longer from a place of fear and doubt.

Being a kid and growing up is such a cool part of life. When you're young, you have no worries, no drama, only your imagination. It's the best!

God doesn't believe in atheists.

As a touring musician over the last 15 years, before streaming and iPods, you had to listen to terrestrial radio wherever you were. That's always been my way of connecting to a location. Turn on the radio, search through the dial.

The great majority of Americans do not know much about Islam but nonetheless fear it as violent, expansionist and alien to their society. The problem to overcome is not hatred, but ignorance.

It's hard to learn a new guy each time out there.

Food is entertainment now. People tune into 'Top Chef,' and they're not trying to replicate the recipes. Anthony Bourdain is entertainment. Instagramming your dishes is entertainment.

When I grew up, there was one music: rock n' roll. Somewhere along the line, there was a separation. I don't know why it happened, but it did happen.

What the history of aviation has brought in the 20th century should inspire us to be inventors and explorers ourselves in the new century.

There are a lot of people with a lot of money, and I'm amazed they don't understand what a great pleasure it can be to give.

Villa Grande has in many ways symbolized an important, but less than pleasant, part of our history.

The partner that you have is supposed to make you a better person, and when you're happy, you're a better person.

I think there's a good pop song in pretty much anything.

Do not say anything harsh what you have said will be said back to you.

The only way to fight a thing like 50 is to stay au courant if it kills you.

Sisters in Crime now has more than 4,000 members worldwide.

I think the novel form chose me. I was a writer before I became a criminal... my first instinct was to write.

I am confident in who I am.

Unfounded fears about your competence and abilities can cripple your unique talents and gifts, which are waiting to be released.