ProverbHuman NatureSpanish origin1615

Tell me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are

Meaning: The company you keep reflects and shapes your own character.

Origin: A saying found across Europe, best known in Spanish as dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres — tell me who you walk with and I'll tell you who you are. In Don Quixote (Part II, 1615), Sancho Panza quotes it against himself: his master is clearly mad, he reasons, so what does that make the man who follows and serves him?

Equivalents in French, Spanish, Japanese, German, Italian, and 4 more languages

  • French: Dis-moi qui tu fréquentes, je te dirai qui tu es (literally: Tell me who you associate with, I will tell you who you are)
  • Spanish: Dime con quién andas y te diré quién eres (literally: Tell me who you walk with and I'll tell you who you are)
  • Japanese: 朱に交われば赤くなる (Shu ni majiwareba akaku naru) (literally: Mix with vermilion and you turn red)
  • German: Sage mir, mit wem du umgehst, und ich sage dir, wer du bist (literally: Tell me with whom you associate, and I'll tell you who you are)
  • Italian: Dimmi con chi vai e ti dirò chi sei (literally: Tell me who you go with and I'll tell you who you are)
  • Portuguese: Diz-me com quem andas, dir-te-ei quem és (literally: Tell me who you walk with, I'll tell you who you are)
  • Russian: Скажи мне, кто твой друг, и я скажу тебе, кто ты (Skazhi mne, kto tvoy drug, i ya skazhu tebe, kto ty) (literally: Tell me who your friend is and I'll tell you who you are)
  • Polish: Powiedz mi, z kim przestajesz, a powiem ci, kim jesteś (literally: Tell me who you keep company with and I'll tell you who you are)
  • Chinese: 近朱者赤,近墨者黑 (Jìn zhū zhě chì, jìn mò zhě hēi) (literally: Near vermilion you turn red, near ink you turn black)

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