continued mutual forgiveness

all friendships of any length are based on a continued, mutual forgiveness. without tolerance and mercy all friendships die.

[...]

to remain friends we must know the other and their difficulties and even their sins and encourage the best in them, not through critique but through addressing the better part of them, the leading creative edge of their incarnation, thus subtly discouraging what makes them smaller, less generous, less of themselves

David Whyte (via)