Associate yourself
With men of good quality
If you esteem your own
Reputation; for its
Better to be alone
Than in bad company
Be courteous to all
But intimate with few
And let those few be
Well tried before you
Give them your confidence
True friendship is a
Tree of slow growth
And must undergo and
Withstand the shocks of
Adversity before it is
Entitled to appellation
George Washington (1732-1799)
First American President.