60 Small Circle Quotes To Encourage You To Build Strong Friendships

These small circle quotes will show you why it is better to have a close-knit group of trustworthy friends rather than a large entourage claiming to have your best interests at heart.

Keep reading to learn more about why you should keep your circle small—and even make it smaller if you need to!

Now you might wonder why you should keep your circle small to begin with. Isn’t having friends a good thing?

Well, for starters, friends are a good thing! However, having a bunch of friends can make it hard to build connections and spend time with everyone. 

At the end of the day, the point of friendships is to have relationships and connections with people who care about us.

Keeping your circle small will let you devote more time to each person. 

Strong bonds are important, but they are not the only reason to keep your circle small!

When your life is going well, it will seem like every friend you have is invested in your life and wants to be around you.

However, when times get rough, those fair-weather friends are suddenly much less involved. 

These small circle quotes might inspire you to evaluate some ‌relationships you have with people and make some changes.

If you enjoy this article, check out our most popular quote article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily motivation. 

If you want more motivational quotes, check out our motivational quotes category page.

Small Circle Quotes For Instagram

Are you looking for the perfect quote to capture photos of your friend group? Have you been burned by a ‘friend’ and need the right words to help express your feelings? If so, then these quotes are for you.

1. “Ours is a circle of friendships united by ideals.” — Juliette Gordon Low

You will also enjoy our article on new friends quotes.

2. “We keep that circle small and never let no squares near it.” — Unknown

3. “Small circle = less problems… Big circle = bunch of bullshit.” — Unknown

4. “Friends should be like books, few, but hand-selected.” — C.J. Langenhoven

5. “A small circle of real friends is better than a large circle of fake friends.” — Ramsha

6. “A best friend is like a four-leaf clover: hard to find and lucky to have.” — Irish Proverb

7. “My circle is so small when my phone rings, I already know who is calling.” — Unknown

8. “Funny how your closest friends can be the fakest. Small circle from now on.” — Unknown

9. “Create around one at least a small circle where matters are arranged as one wants them to be.” — Anna Freud

10. “Make sure everybody in your “Boat” is rowing and not drilling holes when you’re not looking. Know your circle.” — Unknown

You will also enjoy our article on fake friends quotes.

Keep Your Circle Small Quotes

Need more reasons to keep your circle small? These small circle quotes will give you some insight.

11. “Keep your circle of friends small, tight and right.” — Levon Peter Poe

12. “Know yourself; keep your circle tight. Keep your friends and your work circle tight.” — Rita Ora

13. “Avoid teams at all cost. Keep your circle small. Never join a group that has a name.” — George Carlin

14. “There’s nothing like your best friends! Keep your circle small and cherish your friends forever.” — Unknown

15. “Keep a small circle, learn from the wise, stay away from the squares they the devil in disguise.” — Unknown

16. “I seriously keep a small circle of friends. If you are friends with everybody, then you start to get lost in the mix of things.” — Unknown

17. “I keep my circle small. I rather be able to count on a few people 100% than to have hella people who’s never there for me.” — Unknown

18. “Keep your circle small with positive-minded individuals who only come to grow with you, and not to take advantage of you.” — Edmond Mbiaka

19. “I keep my circle small because there are just too many fakes out there, who’ll tear you down instead of bringing you up like actual friends should.” — Unknown

20. “I just try to keep the same people I’ve had around me from Day One. Keep it a real small circle because if you do that, not too much is going to go bad for you.” — Kevin Love

Small Circle Quotes About Trust

It is much easier to trust a small group of people over a large one. It is hard to know who to trust in this world, but these small circle quotes will help you identify the friends in your life who are truly trustworthy.

21. “I only trust a few and that circle small as hell.” — Darkskin

22. “Capricorns have a small circle due to their lack of trust.” — Unknown

23. “Small circle. I don’t even need one hand to count who I trust.” — Unknown

24. “I don’t lose friends I illuminate the ones who are not worthy to be in my circle of trust.” — Unknown

25. “I keep my circle small you can’t trust too many people, anyone can backstab you, even you’re own blood.” — Unknown

26. “Trust is hard to come by. That’s why my circle is small and tight. I’m kind of funny about making new friends.” — Eminem

27. “If I share something with you, know its because I trust you. I might seem very open, but my circle of trust is very small…” — Unknown

28. “As we grow up, we realize it becomes less important to have a ton of friends, and more important to have real ones.” — Unknown

29. “You shouldn’t show others your weakness. Only your small circle should know your deepest secrets. Wear your masks and smile for the rest.” — Unknown

30. “One good reason to only maintain a small circle of friends is that three out of four murders are committed by people who know the victim.” — George Carlin

Small Circle Quotes To Keep In Mind

Are you still not convinced that keeping your friend circle small is the right way to go? Then read through these small circle quotes to help you decide.

31. “I pick and choose. I don’t get shit confused. I got a small circle, I’m not with different crews.” — Drake

32. “Choose your friends carefully; I rather be picky than to pick the wrong friends.” — Rasheed Bryant

33. “Find a group of people who challenge and inspire you; spend a lot of time with them, and it will change your life.” — Amy Poehler

34. “Advocating for yourself in the context of friendship starts with choosing the right people to be part of your inner circle.” — Kimberly Guilfoyle

35. “Draw a circle around yourself—invite people in or keep them out. We are the creators of our social geometry. Calculate your volume.” — Unknown

36. “Do not keep people in your circle that are not for you. Eventually, these people will stress you out and be the source of your downfall.” — Unknown

37. “The older you get, the smaller the circle of your true friends becomes…for time has a tendency to absorb the time we have for others.” — Kevin Messick

38. “You can have many friends, but best friends are hard to find. The friends who stops you from bad deeds are indeed the best friends.” — Muhammad Habib

39. “I became much happier when I realized I shouldn’t depend solely on my career for my sense of self. So I developed other interests and surrounded myself with a small group of friends I could trust.” — Douglas Wood

40. “Man is always inclined to regard the small circle in which he lives as the center of the world and to make his particular, private life the standard of the universe and to make his particular, private life the standard of the universe. But he must give up this vain pretense, this petty provincial way of thinking and judging.” — Ernst Cassirer

Small Circle Quotes About The Dangers Of Fake Friends

Fake friends are the worst! These quotes about fake friends should help encourage you to keep your circle small and filled with people who truly care. 

41. “Letting go of toxic people in your life is a big step in loving yourself.” — Hussein Nishah

42. “If you are not going to be a comfort, have the decency to be an empty space.” — Jennifer Crusie

43. “No person is your friend who demands your silence, or denies your right to grow.” — Alice Walker

44. “A friend who stands with you in pressure is more valuable than a hundred ones who stand with you in pleasure.” — Edward G. Bulwer-Lytton

45. “Friends that don’t accept you for who you are, aren’t really your friends. Your true friends will never try to change you.” — Anurag Prakash Ray

46. “False friendship, like the ivy, decays and ruins the walls it embraces; but true friendship gives new life and animation to the object it supports.” — Richard Burton

47. “False friends are like our shadow, keeping close to us while we walk in the sunshine, but leaving us the instant we cross into the shade.” — John Christian Bovee

48. “Fire false friends as early as possible. Do it before they dig out the dream seeds you’ve planted. The earlier, the better; the quicker, the safer.” — Israelmore Ayivor

49. “Before you count your friends, make sure you can count on them. Some friends are only around when they want something from you but are never there when you need something from them.” — Rashida Rowe

50. “Fake friends are like shadows: always near you at your brightest moments, but nowhere to be seen at your darkest hour. True friends are like stars, you don’t always see them, but they are always there.” — Habeeb Akande

51. “In my circle of friends, I’ve always been loud and funny and talkative. But as soon as I step out of that circle, I get very quiet and introspective. I don’t want the spotlight on me.” — Rosie Perez

52. “I was very introverted growing up and I had small circle of friends. Any opportunity I got to rap or articulate things through rhyme or hip hop was great for me.” — LeCrae

53. “I’m not comfortable being around too many people, I don’t like doing celebrity stuff. So I’m like people who don’t always feel comfortable beyond their small circle of friends.” — Adam Sandler

54. “Keep your circle small with positive minded individuals who only come to grow with you, and not to take advantage of you.” — Edmond Mbiaka

55. “We were a very small circle of writers. Everybody brought to the table their own life experience.” — Howie Mandel

56. “Intelligent people tend to have less friends than the average person. The smarter you are, the more selective you become.” — Nikola Tesla

57. “Decide the friends, mentors & leaders you want in your life, in your inner circle, and court them with emotional generosity. Make it matter.” — Gary W. Goldstein

58. “We create our buildings and then they create us. Likewise, we construct our circle of friends and our communities and then they construct us.” — Frank Lloyd Wright

59. “The older I’ve gotten, the more I’ve realized what a true friend really is. So my friendship circle has changed a bit.” — Aimee Teegarden

60. “I don’t like being out in public too much. I don’t like going to bars. I don’t like doing celebrity stuff. So most of the characters I play are people who don’t always feel comfortable beyond their small circle of friends.” — Adam Sandler

How To Make Your Circle Smaller

Ok, so now that you have seen all these small circle quotes, maybe you are feeling like your circle of friends could use some attention.

It might be daunting to think about how to reduce your friend list, especially if you are used to having many people in your circle.

These tips will help you navigate this endeavor.

First, don’t just take a hacksaw to your relationships because you recognize the benefits of a smaller circle.

This is a process that requires some introspection.

Who do you want to be? Who is going to encourage and support the changes you make going forward?

Once you know how you want your life to look, then you ask some more specific questions of yourself to determine who should be in your circle.

Start with thinking about who overwhelms you or drains your energy.

Do you have a friend that is always negative or starting drama?

If you have reached a place in your life where that is no longer something you want to be a part of, then start distancing yourself.

Shrinking your circle doesn’t mean you have to have a fight with these friends or experience an ugly ‘breakup.’

It can be as easy as learning to say no when they ask you to spend time with them.

Simply limiting the time you spend with people will naturally cause the friendship to shift.

Have any other helpful tips for making your circle of friends smaller? You can share your thoughts with us in the comment section below.