It is only the great hearted who can be true friends. The mean and cowardly, Can never know what true friendship means.

The saying links genuine friendship to moral courage and generosity of spirit. “Great-hearted” suggests largeness of character: the capacity to be loyal, forgiving, and self-forgetful, especially when friendship demands sacrifice or risk. By contrast, the “mean and cowardly” are portrayed as too governed by self-interest and fear to sustain the trust and constancy that friendship requires. The quote thus treats friendship not as mere affection or social convenience, but as an ethical achievement—something that depends on virtues like bravery, magnanimity, and integrity. Its force lies in making friendship a test of character: to be a true friend is to be the kind of person who can rise above pettiness and timidity.