So, I’ve been doing some thinking. Not very deep, soul-searching thinking, just random stuff, and an old idea of mine came to mind.

I think, personally, that the quote “A friend in need is a friend indeed” is misunderstood in today’s society. For example, it is often used as the base moral in at least one episode of nearly any children’s show, and used in such a way so that it proves that friends need help. While this is true, that is not what I find the quote itself to mean.

Let’s look at it in pieces: First off, you have “A friend in need”. This means that someone you know is in need. They want something, or need something from you. Then, “Is a friend indeed.” I’ve only ever seen this translated as a literal fact, showing that a friend in need is indeed a “true friend.”

I don’t think that’s the meaning.

I think the quote is meant to be taken in a more ironic way. Such as, a friend in need is a friend who will play suck up and helpful until they get what they want. “A friend in need is a friend indeed!” with sarcastic emphasis on the italics.

I find it odd how people manage to worm that as a good thing into our minds. It’s not! It’s merely pointing out the manipulative manner in which people can operate. Now, there is morality in the idea that a friend who helps a friend in need is indeed a friend, but he who is in need may not truly be a friend indeed. That’s all it means.