# What does ‘a friend in need is a friend indeed’ mean?

To “a friend in need is a friend indeed” means to true friends are those who help in hard times. Brewer's lists this as a familiar English proverb, current from at least the 11th century in older forms.

## What it means

- Brewer's lists this as a familiar English proverb, current from at least the 11th century in older forms.

## Action steps

1. Warm praise for reliable friends.
2. Example: She drove me to the hospital at 3 a.m. — a friend in need is a friend indeed.

## Sources

- [Brewer's Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898) — Internet Archive scan](https://archive.org/details/brewers-dictionary-of-phrase-and-fable)

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