The making of friends who are real friends, is the best token we have of a man’s success in life.

Hale measures “success” not by wealth, rank, or public acclaim, but by the capacity to form genuine, enduring friendships. The phrase “real friends” implies relationships grounded in character—trust, loyalty, and mutual regard—rather than convenience or social advantage. Calling this the “best token” of success treats friendship as evidence of a life well-lived: if others freely choose closeness with you over time, it suggests integrity, empathy, and steadiness. The line also carries a moral critique of purely external achievements, proposing that the most reliable proof of personal worth is relational rather than material.