I always felt that the great high privilege, relief and comfort of friendship was that one had to explain nothing.

Mansfield frames friendship not as constant conversation or explanation, but as a rare space of ease: the friend understands one’s temperament, history, and silences without requiring justification. The “privilege” lies in being spared the labor of self-translation—no defending feelings, motives, or contradictions. In this sense, friendship becomes a form of refuge from social performance and from the misunderstandings that accompany ordinary acquaintance. The line also implies a high standard for intimacy: true friendship is measured by intuitive sympathy and acceptance rather than by the ability to persuade or narrate oneself convincingly.