Tis the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and to have her nonsense respected.

Charles Lamb’s remark comes from his essay “On the Friendship of Women,” one of the “Essays of Elia,” where he reflects—partly playfully, partly seriously—on the character of women’s friendships as he perceived them in early nineteenth-century London social life. In the essay Lamb contrasts different modes of companionship and conversation, suggesting that intimacy is marked not by constant gravity or intellectual display but by the freedom to be silly, digressive, and unguarded without fear of ridicule. The line appears in a passage praising the indulgent, affectionate tolerance that allows friends to speak loosely and still be met with respect rather than correction.

Lamb treats “nonsense” not as stupidity but as the harmless, unguarded talk that arises when people feel safe. Friendship, in this view, is measured less by earnest counsel than by the permission to be unserious—to ramble, joke, exaggerate, or speak without polishing one’s thoughts for an audience. The “privilege” is reciprocal respect: even what is objectively trivial is honored because it comes from a person one values. The line also hints at a humane ethic of conversation: affection suspends judgment, allowing personality and spontaneity to flourish. It’s a compact defense of intimacy over performative wit or social correctness.

“It is the privilege of friendship to talk nonsense, and to have her nonsense respected.”