In “Of Friendship” Bacon trying to explore the most significant aspect of human life, “Friendship”. Bacon is a philosopher, statesman, and essayist of late Renaissance.
In this essay, Bacon is trying to emphasize how genuine a friendship serves as a source of emotional and intellectual support. His work, although centuries old, continues to be relevant and resonates with the readers due to its timeless insight into human nature and relationship.
Of Friendship by Francis Bacon Short Summary
In “Of Friendship,” Bacon attempts to explore the “value and importance” of friendship in a person’s life. He begins the essay by stating that a true “friendship” is one of the greatest sources of joy and it serves as a great counterbalance to the “solitude” that many individuals have to face in life.
Further, he argues that friendship will bring a sense of “mutual understanding,” and offer a space for people to share their thoughts, emotions, and experiences freely. Further Bacon goes on to discuss the role of friendship in fostering wisdom and how friends provide a mirror for self-reflection.
Bacon emphasises that true friends not only offer companionship but also guide and support each other in times of need. He believes that the best friendships are based on mutual “respect and understanding”, as these connections may help nurturing “personal growth”.
Moreover, Bacon reflects on the ways friendship can strengthen one’s “reputation and character,” as people who are known for their friendships are often seen in a more “positive light”. He concludes by asserting the delicate nature of friendship, which, when mismanaged, can lead to “envy and discord,” but if cultivated well, it can bring the “highest form of happiness”.
Of Friendship Detailed Summary
✓ Solitude & Companionship
It’s hard to pack more truth and falsehood into a single statement than in this: “Whoever loves solitude is either a wild beast or a god.” The truth is that a natural dislike of a man towards society is comparable to something of the wild beast. But it’s false to say it reflects anything divine, unless it arises not from pleasure in being alone but from a desire to withdraw for higher, spiritual reasons. This kind of solitude is sometimes falsely claimed by figures like the Greek Epimenides, the Roman Numa, the Sicilian Empedocles, and Apollonius of Tyana, but genuinely seen in the lives of ancient hermits and holy figures of the church.
Most people don’t truly understand what solitude is or how far it reaches. A crowd isn’t the same as company, faces are just like a gallery of paintings, and conversation is just noise if there’s no love behind it. The Latin saying “A great city is a great solitude” captures this idea somewhat, because in large towns, friends are often scattered, and the close-knit fellowship of smaller communities is lost. But we can go further and say that lacking true friends is the deepest and saddest kind of solitude. Without real friendship, the world feels like a wilderness. In this sense, anyone who is naturally incapable of friendship is more like a beast than a human being.
Benefits of Friendship
✓ First Benefit of Friendship
One of the main benefits of friendship is the relief it brings to the heart, discharge of the burdens and swellings of the heart, when it feels overwhelmed by emotions. Just as blockages in the body can be dangerous, emotional blockages in the mind can be harmful too. You can use remedies like sarza for the liver, steel for the spleen, sulphur for the lungs, and castoreum for the brain, but only a true friend can ease the heart. A friend is someone you can share your griefs, joys, fears, hopes, doubts, advice, and anything else weighing on you, almost like confessing to them.
It’s interesting to see how much value kings and rulers place on this benefit of friendship. They often seek it even at the risk of their power and safety. Because their status sets them apart from their subjects, they can’t experience this kind of friendship unless they elevate someone to be almost their equal. This can sometimes cause problems.
In modern languages, such people are called “favorites” or “privadoes,” focusing on privilege or companionship. But the Romans called them “participes curarum”—“sharers in cares”—which better describes their role. Even the wisest and most skilled rulers, not just the weak or emotional ones, have chosen close companions, calling them friends and allowing others to do the same. These relationships were vital for their well-being and leadership.
✓ Sylla and Pompey
When Sylla ruled Rome, he elevated Pompey (later called “the Great”) to such a high position that Pompey eventually saw himself as more powerful than Sylla. For instance, when Pompey secured the consulship for one of his allies against Sylla’s wishes, and Sylla expressed his displeasure and began making bold statements, Pompey effectively told him to calm down, reminding him that more people worship the rising sun than the setting sun.
✓ Julius Caesar and Brutus
With Julius Caesar, Decimus Brutus had such influence that Caesar named him as a secondary heir in his will after his nephew. Brutus even persuaded Caesar to attend the Senate on the day of his assassination, despite warnings and his wife Calphurnia’s ominous dream. Gently lifting Caesar from his chair, Brutus remarked that he hoped Caesar wouldn’t dismiss the Senate just because his wife had dreamed badly. Brutus’s influence was so great that Mark Antony, in one of Cicero’s Philippics, called him a “witch,” as if he had cast a spell over Caesar.
✓ Augustus and Agrippa
Augustus raised Agrippa, a man of humble origins, to such prominence that when discussing the marriage of his daughter Julia with Maecenas, the latter told Augustus bluntly that he must either let Julia marry Agrippa or have Agrippa killed—there was no middle ground because Agrippa had been given too much power.
✓ Tiberius and Sejanus
Under Tiberius, Sejanus rose to such heights that they were regarded as close equals. In a letter, Tiberius even wrote, “I did not conceal this from you because of our friendship.” The Senate went so far as to dedicate an altar to Friendship as if it were a deity, in honor of the bond between Tiberius and Sejanus.
✓ Septimius and Plautianus
A similar relationship existed between Septimius Severus and Plautianus. Severus forced his eldest son to marry Plautianus’s daughter and often supported Plautianus even when he insulted his son. Severus even wrote to the Senate, stating, “I love this man so much that I wish he would outlive me.”
If these rulers had been like Trajan or Marcus Aurelius—known for their generous and virtuous natures—one might think these actions stemmed from an abundance of kindness. But since these were wise, strong, self-centered men, it becomes clear that they sought these friendships because, despite their immense power and fortune, they felt incomplete without a true companion. Remarkably, even though these princes had wives, children, and other family members, none could replace the unique comfort and fulfillment that comes from friendship.
Comineus observed something important about his first master, Duke Charles the Bold: the Duke never shared his secrets with anyone, especially the ones that troubled him the most. Comineus noted that, later in life, this secrecy weakened and even damaged the Duke’s understanding. He could have said the same about his second master, Louis XI, whose secretive nature became his own torment.
Pythagoras’s saying, “Eat not the heart,” is obscure but true. In a way, those who lack friends to confide in end up devouring their own hearts. One remarkable truth about friendship is that sharing oneself with a friend produces two opposite effects: it doubles joys and halves griefs. When a person shares their happiness with a friend, their joy increases. When they share their sorrow, their grief lessens. This effect on the mind is like what alchemists claimed their philosopher’s stone could do for the body—producing opposing results, but always for the better.
Even without the alchemists’ theories, this truth is evident in nature. In physical bodies, unity strengthens and supports natural functions while weakening harmful forces. The same is true of the mind: connection with others enhances positive emotions and diminishes negative ones.
Read also: Of Truth by Francis Bacon
✓ Second Benefit of Friendship
The second benefit of friendship is its positive effect on understanding, just as the first benefit is on emotions. Friendship calms emotional storms and creates a clear, peaceful day in the heart, but it also brings clarity and light to the mind, dispelling confusion and darkness.
This is not just about the wise advice one may receive from a friend. Even before that, simply sharing and discussing thoughts with another person helps to clarify and organize them. By expressing ideas out loud, one can better understand them, see how they hold up when spoken, and ultimately become wiser—sometimes more so in an hour of conversation than in a full day of solitary reflection. Themistocles put it well when he told the Persian king that speech is like an embroidered tapestry: when laid out, its designs and patterns become visible, whereas in thought alone, they remain folded and hidden.
This benefit isn’t limited to friends who can give advice, though they are the most valuable. Even without their input, the act of sharing thoughts allows a person to understand themselves better, sharpen their mind, and refine their ideas—like a blade being honed on a stone that doesn’t cut. In the end, it’s better to talk to a statue or picture than to let thoughts remain bottled up and hidden.
To complete the second benefit of friendship, we must add another crucial aspect: the faithful advice of a friend, which is widely recognized and valued. Heraclitus wisely said, “Dry light is ever the best,” meaning that the light of truth and understanding, when free from personal bias or emotion, is the purest. The advice of a friend provides such light, being clearer and less clouded by emotions and habits than the judgments we make for ourselves. There is a vast difference between the advice of a friend and the self-deceptions we often fall into. No one flatters us more than we flatter ourselves, and nothing counteracts this better than the honest counsel of a friend.
Advice can be of two kinds: advice on personal behavior and advice on practical matters. Regarding personal behavior, the best way to maintain a healthy mind is through a friend’s honest and loving criticism. Self-reflection can be overly harsh and discouraging; reading moral books can feel lifeless and uninspiring; observing others’ faults may not always apply to our own situation.
The most effective and constructive guidance comes from a friend’s gentle yet firm admonition. It’s remarkable how many glaring mistakes—particularly among those in positions of power—go uncorrected because they lack a friend who dares to point them out. Such errors often harm their reputation and success. As St. James said, they are like people who glance in a mirror but immediately forget their appearance.
For practical matters, some might believe they don’t need advice, thinking their own judgment is sufficient, like assuming two eyes see no more than one, or that someone in anger is as wise as one who is calm. But in truth, sound counsel is what straightens out confusion and sets actions on the right course.
Some may prefer to seek advice piecemeal, consulting different people on different matters. While this is better than seeking no advice at all, it has risks. First, advice from others may be influenced by their personal motives unless they are truly loyal and impartial. Second, well-meaning but uninformed advice can do harm, like a physician treating one illness but causing greater harm elsewhere due to lack of familiarity with the patient’s overall condition.
A true friend, who understands your life fully, will consider both the immediate need and the broader consequences, ensuring their guidance benefits you without unintended harm. Therefore, relying on scattered or fragmented advice often leads to confusion rather than clarity. Trust in the consistent, holistic counsel of a devoted friend for the best results.
✓ Final Benefit of Friendship
After the two noble benefits of friendship—peace in the emotions and clarity in judgment—comes the final benefit, which is like a pomegranate, full of many seeds: the help and participation of a friend in all aspects of life. The best way to illustrate the wide-ranging value of friendship is to consider how many things a person simply cannot accomplish alone. In this light, the ancient saying that “a friend is another self” feels understated, as a true friend can be far more than that.
Life is limited by time, and people often pass away with unfinished desires—like arranging a child’s future or completing an important project. But with a true friend, a person can rest assured that these concerns will be cared for even after their own time, as if they lived on through their friend. A friend effectively extends a person’s capacity to act, almost giving them a second life in their ambitions.
A person is confined by their physical presence, but friendship allows one’s influence and actions to extend beyond those limits. There are also things a person cannot do for themselves without awkwardness or impropriety—like praising their own virtues, seeking help, or making requests. What might seem embarrassing or unseemly when done for oneself becomes gracious and dignified when done by a friend on one’s behalf.
Additionally, personal roles come with restrictions. A father cannot address his son as anything but a father; a husband cannot speak to his wife except as a husband; and an adversary is limited by the terms of enmity. But a friend is free to speak or act as the situation demands, unrestricted by personal roles or obligations.
Listing every advantage of this kind would be endless, but the principle is clear: whenever a person cannot suitably perform a task themselves, the role of a friend becomes indispensable. Without a friend, one might as well step off the stage of life.