Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends.

H. Jackson Brown, Jr., the quiet observer of life’s simple truths, once wrote with gentle humor and deep affection: “Remember that the most valuable antiques are dear old friends.” Though phrased lightly, this saying carries the weight of timeless wisdom. For friendship, like all things of true worth, grows richer with the passing of years. The treasures of the heart, unlike gold or marble, do not lose their luster with age — they deepen. The laughter shared long ago, the tears shed in trust, the silences understood without words — these are the antique jewels of the human soul, their beauty undimmed by time’s hand.

The origin of this insight comes from Brown’s reflections on the quiet moments of life, collected in his beloved Life’s Little Instruction Book. Though a man of modern times, his words echo the wisdom of the ancients — that companionship, tested and aged like fine wine, becomes a thing of rare and enduring value. The comparison to antiques is no accident. For an antique is something that has survived — it has endured storms and the slow erosion of years, and in that endurance, it has gathered character. So too with friendship: only those bonds that weather time, distance, and change emerge with the depth and beauty of something truly priceless.

To call old friends the most valuable antiques is to recognize the sacredness of shared memory. A new friend may bring excitement, but an old friend brings understanding — a knowing glance, a familiar word, a presence that asks for nothing. They hold the stories of who we were before the world shaped us; they remember our beginnings, our foolishness, our growth. When life’s seasons change and we stand as strangers even to ourselves, these friends remind us of our roots. They are living witnesses to our journey, the keepers of our past, and the mirrors of our soul. Their value is not in novelty but in constancy, not in the shine of the new but in the warm patina of love well-worn.

History gives us countless testaments to this truth. Consider the friendship between C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien, two giants of imagination whose companionship shaped the literary world. They met as scholars, but through years of shared struggle, critique, and laughter, their friendship became an anchor for both men. When Lewis doubted, Tolkien encouraged him; when Tolkien faltered in his great work, Lewis’s faith in him rekindled the fire. Their friendship aged like an heirloom, growing in worth as both endured the trials of time and fame. And though they were both men of intellect, it was their affection — the antique grace of trust and loyalty — that gave their lives enduring light.

Brown’s words also whisper a gentle warning. In our age of haste, we too often trade the enduring for the immediate — old ties for new faces, lasting connection for passing conversation. We collect acquaintances as one collects trinkets, yet forget that true friendship, like a fine antique, demands care, patience, and time. A friendship cannot be mass-produced; it must be shaped by years of honesty and forgiveness. When we neglect old friends, we lose not only their company but a part of ourselves — the shared history that grounds us, the affection that softens life’s edges. The wise, therefore, do not let such treasures gather dust in neglect. They polish them with remembrance, with a letter, a call, or a quiet visit.

To cherish dear old friends is also to honor life itself. For friendship, more than any possession, is proof of a life well-lived. The one who grows old surrounded by familiar laughter, by faces that have known his youth and witnessed his trials, is rich beyond measure. Such friendships are sanctuaries — places where one may return again and again to find belonging, comfort, and truth. The antiques of the heart cannot be sold or stolen; they are earned by kindness, preserved by time, and made radiant by love.

So, my children of memory and gratitude, let this wisdom dwell within you: guard your old friendships as treasures beyond price. Reach out to those whose laughter once lit your youth. Sit again with them, and remember. For each shared story, each recollection, polishes the soul’s silver and restores its shine. And if you have yet to form such bonds, begin now — with sincerity, patience, and care. Friendship, once tended, will endure beyond the seasons of your life.

For in the end, as H. Jackson Brown, Jr. reminds us, all possessions fade, all splendors pass. But the friend who has walked with you through years — through joy and loss, through silence and song — that is the antique of the heart, the most valuable of all your treasures. Cherish them, for they are not merely fragments of your past — they are the golden threads that bind your life together, enduring even as the years fall away.