Maxim

Choose your companions wisely.

“He that walketh with wise men shall be wise: but a companion of fools shall be destroyed.”

— Book of Proverbs, Proverbs 13:20 (KJV) · source Verified
Judaism · Ancient (before 200 BCE)
Translation: King James Version (public domain)

We slowly become like the people we spend our days with. Seeking out good, honest friends is one of the surest ways to grow into a better person.

Related expressions

“Do not have evil-doers for friends, do not have low people for friends: have virtuous people for friends, have for friends the best of men.”
— The Buddha, Dhammapada 78, tr. F. Max Müller
BuddhismAncient (before 200 BCE)relation: expressesVerifiedsourceTranslation: public-domain translation (Müller)
“There are three friendships which are advantageous, and three which are injurious. Friendship with the upright; friendship with the sincere; and friendship with the man of much observation:-- these are advantageous.”
— Confucius, Analects 16.4, tr. James Legge
ConfucianismAncient (before 200 BCE)relation: expressesVerifiedsourceTranslation: public-domain translation (Legge)
“A man follows the religion of his friend; so each one should consider whom he makes his friend.”
— The Prophet Muhammad (narrated by Abu Hurayrah), Sunan Abi Dawud 4833
IslamMedieval (600 – 1500)relation: expressesVerifiedsourceTranslation: Ahmad Hasan translation, as given on sunnah.com

Moral Rank 70.9 · Evidence E = 15.87

E = ln(1+3.60) + √3.60 + 3·3.15 + 1.5·2 = 15.87