Close friends are truly life's treasures. Sometimes they know us better than we know ourselves. With gentle honesty, they are there to guide and support us, to share our laughter and our tears. Their presence reminds us that we are never really alone.

Although this wording is not traceable with confidence to Vincent van Gogh’s authenticated writings, the sentiment aligns with themes that recur in his letters: the ache of isolation, the sustaining power of companionship, and the moral value of candor. Read as a reflective aphorism, the passage argues that friendship is not merely pleasant but stabilizing—friends act as mirrors who can perceive our character and needs when self-knowledge falters. “Gentle honesty” suggests a balance between truth-telling and care, framing support as both emotional (sharing joy and grief) and ethical (guidance). The closing claim—never being truly alone—casts friendship as a remedy for existential solitude.