Smartyfair
With our chosen friends, on the other hand, and still more between lovers (for mutual understanding is love’s essence), the truth is easily indicated by the one and aptly comprehended by the other.

Where these words come from

How sure this is
95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
Virginibus Puerisque, IV, “Truth of Intercourse”; Complete sentence in discussion of truthful communication and mutual understanding; surrounding discussion read. Stevenson’s own prose, not the Thoreau quotation earlier in the essay. Public domain.
Work
Virginibus Puerisque, IV, “Truth of Intercourse”
Sources checked
  • gutenberg.orgChecked using manual, 20 October 2026Virginibus Puerisque, IV, “Truth of Intercourse”; Complete sentence in discussion of truthful communication and mutual understanding; surrounding discussion read. Stevenson’s own prose, not the Thoreau quotation earlier in the essay. Public domain.

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