The golden moments in the stream of life rush past us and we see nothing but sand; the angels come to visit us, and we only know them when they are gone. George Eliot

I don’t need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better. Plutarch

True friends visit us in prosperity only when invited, but in adversity they come without invitation. Theophrastus

One of my heroes is a Vietnam veteran, a military man who knew the horrors of war, and the value of a friend. I never tire of his telling about an ambush his platoon suffered. He asked his platoon leader if he might go out and bring in one of his comrades who lay grievously wounded. You can go, said the officer, but it’s not worth it. Your friend is probably killed, and you will throw your own life away. But the man went. Somehow despite being injured he managed to get to his friend, hoisted him to his shoulder, and bring him back. The officer looked calmly at the would-be rescuer, and then he said, I told you it wouldn’t be worth it. Your friend is dead, and now you are wounded as well.
It was worth it, though, sir. He said. Because when I got to him he was still alive, and he said to me, I knew you’d come.
The story well illustrates the saying,
a friend walks in when the world walks out.