I think the term 'friend' itself has lost almost all of its exclusivity. Even the term 'good friend' is overused. Adding the word 'vital' provides a clear definition of what we mean.
Sentiment: NEGATIVE
These days, I think we could all agree that having a just-friend is not a bad thing.
True friendship is like sound health; the value of it is seldom known until it is lost.
A friend is a beloved mystery; dearest always because he is not ourself, and has something in him which it is impossible for us to fathom. If it were not so, friendship would lose its chief zest.
A friend should be one in whose understanding and virtue we can equally confide, and whose opinion we can value at once for its justness and its sincerity.
I define friendship as a bond that transcends all barriers. When you are ready to expect anything and everything from friends, good, bad or ugly... that's what I call true friendship.
A friend is an emotional bond, just like friendship is a human experience.
As soon as you try to describe a close friendship, it loses something.
No one has really ever defined what a friend is.
I think for a lot of people, friendship is a relationship that gets devalued once they move on to what people consider to be more important relationships: once you find a partner or when you have kids.
One does nothing who tries to console a despondent person with word. A friend is one who aids with deeds at a critical time when deeds are called for.