Choose your companions from the best Who draws a bucket with the rest soon topples down the hill. – William Butler Yeats

Be assured those will be thy worst enemies, not to whom thou hast done evil, but who have done evil to thee. And those will be thy best friends, not to whom thou hast done good, but who have done good to thee. – Tacitus

The man who has done his level best… is a success, even though the world may write him down a failure. – B. C. Forbes

The making of friends who are real friends, is the best token we have of a mans success in life. – Edward Everett Hale