No friend? Look for one. Found one? Keep him.

What it means

Friendship takes effort twice: once to find it and again to keep it. Good friends are rare and easily lost through neglect. Search, then take care of what you find.

The source

"No friend? Look for one. Found one? Keep him." This Russian proverb is recorded in Dal, Proverbs of the Russian People (1862), "Friend — Foe" («Друг — Недруг»). Translated from the original Russian by Spartan Surfers.

"Нет друга, так ищи: а нашел, так береги."

Original Russian, Dal, Proverbs of the Russian People (1862), "Friend — Foe" («Друг — Недруг»). Text read at ru.wikisource.org.

Who said it

Proverbs of the world (Every age). Sayings from the Latin, Greek, Norse, Japanese, Chinese and more, each traced to an old source in its own language.

Questions

What does "No friend? Look for one. Found one? Keep him." mean?

Friendship takes effort twice: once to find it and again to keep it. Good friends are rare and easily lost through neglect. Search, then take care of what you find.

Who said "No friend? Look for one. Found one? Keep him."?

Russian proverb. Source: Dal, Proverbs of the Russian People (1862), "Friend — Foe" («Друг — Недруг»).

What is the original Russian?

Нет друга, так ищи: а нашел, так береги. Translated from the original Russian by Spartan Surfers.

Is "No friend? Look for one. Found one? Keep him." on a shirt?

Yes. We print it to order on our tees in 7 illustrated looks, from $44, with free US shipping.

"No friend? Look for one. Found one? Keep him." (Russian proverb, Dal, Proverbs of the Russian People (1862), "Friend — Foe" («Друг — Недруг»), translated by Spartan Surfers). https://spartansurfers.com/quotes/no-friend-look-for-one-found-one-keep