No man can be called friendless when he has God and the companionship of good books.

The saying links spiritual faith and reading as two sustaining forms of companionship. It suggests that loneliness is not merely a matter of lacking social contacts; inner resources—relationship with God and the presence of “good books” that speak across time—can provide consolation, moral guidance, and a sense of being accompanied. The emphasis on “good” books implies discernment: not all reading nourishes, but certain works can function like friends, offering counsel, empathy, and enlargement of the mind. Attributed to Barrett Browning, the sentiment aligns with a nineteenth‑century view of literature as ethically formative and with a devotional understanding of God as an ever-present companion.