A true friend freely, advises justly, assists readily, adventures boldly, takes all patiently, defends courageously, and continues a friend unchangeably.

Penn’s sentence offers a compact moral anatomy of friendship, defining it less as affection than as steadfast, active virtue. The “true friend” is measured by conduct under pressure: giving honest counsel (“advises justly”), practical help (“assists readily”), and personal risk (“adventures boldly”) rather than mere sympathy. The sequence also stresses endurance and loyalty—bearing difficulties without complaint (“takes all patiently”), protecting another’s reputation or safety (“defends courageously”), and remaining constant (“unchangeably”). In Penn’s ethical worldview, friendship becomes a test of character and a social bond grounded in integrity, courage, and perseverance rather than convenience or shared pleasure.