Friendship without self-interest is one of the rare and beautiful things of life.

Byrnes’s line contrasts instrumental relationships—maintained for advantage, influence, or gain—with friendship grounded in genuine regard. Calling such friendship “rare” acknowledges how often social ties are entangled with ambition, reciprocity, or calculation, especially in public life and politics (worlds Byrnes knew intimately). The phrase “beautiful things of life” elevates disinterested friendship to a moral and aesthetic ideal: it is not merely useful but intrinsically valuable, a human good that enriches life precisely because it is freely given. The quote thus functions as both praise and gentle admonition, inviting readers to examine motives and to cherish relationships that endure without transactional expectations.