"You can't eat your friends and have them too"

This quote by Budd Schulberg is a play on the typical expression "you can't have your cake and eat it too." It is a metaphorical declaration that suggests you can't use your buddies for personal gain or advantage and still keep a real and enduring friendship.

Analyzing this quote, we can comprehend that Schulberg is pointing out the significance of valuing and cherishing real relationships. True buddies are not just there to serve our needs or to be utilized for our own individual gain. They are there to use support, companionship, and love, and we should treat them with regard and care.

The quote likewise implies that there is a limitation to just how much we can use or exploit our good friends prior to they are no longer ready to be there for us. If we utilize our good friends for our own self-centered functions, we risk damaging the relationship and losing the genuine connection that we had with them.

In essence, the quote functions as a tip to value our friends for who they are and to treat them with the respect and care that they deserve. It is a caution against taking our friendships for approved and utilizing them for our own personal gain. Instead, we need to strive to develop and preserve authentic, long lasting relationships based upon shared respect, trust, and assistance.