A man’s friendships are one of the best measures of his worth.

The saying proposes a social and ethical yardstick: a person’s character is revealed by the quality of the relationships he forms and sustains. “Friendships” here implies more than popularity; it points to mutual trust, loyalty, and the capacity for empathy and reciprocity. The quote also suggests that worth is not purely private or self-declared but becomes legible in the company one keeps and the obligations one honors. Read in a Darwinian key (though not necessarily Darwin’s own phrasing), it aligns with the idea that cooperation and social bonds are central to human flourishing, and that moral traits are tested in lived networks rather than abstract principles.