Truth springs from argument amongst friends.

The line expresses a characteristically Enlightenment faith that knowledge advances through candid, rational exchange rather than through solitary certainty or deference to authority. Read in a Humean key, “truth” is not merely revealed; it is refined by testing claims against objections, counterexamples, and alternative perspectives. The phrase “amongst friends” matters: it implies a setting where disagreement is safe—where participants share goodwill and a common commitment to inquiry—so that argument becomes cooperative rather than adversarial. The quote thus commends intellectual humility and sociable skepticism: we get closer to what is warranted when our views are exposed to the friction of informed, honest criticism.