You don’t have to have anything in common with people you’ve known since you were five. With old friends, you’ve got your whole life in common.

Lovett contrasts the basis of long-standing friendships with the way adult relationships are often justified. New acquaintances can feel “compatible” only if they share tastes, politics, hobbies, or lifestyles; the quote argues that this standard doesn’t apply to childhood friends. The shared history itself—memories, formative experiences, and the accumulated knowledge of one another over time—creates a durable bond that can survive divergence in interests or values. Implicitly, it defends loyalty and continuity: even when people grow into different versions of themselves, the narrative of having grown up together can be a deeper commonality than any single present-day similarity.