"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another: ‘What! You too? I thought I was the only one." Author of The Chronicles of Narnia book series, C.S. Lewis knew a thing or two about friendship. As it happens, he was part of a circle of friends that included fellow writers such as Tolkien (Lord of the Rings). Lewis's friendship group were known as the Inklings and, for two decades, they met to discuss all things writing.

“There’s not a word yet for old friends who’ve just met.” When you hear the name Jim Henson, happiness surely comes to mind. During his all-too-short lifetime, he made millions of people happy. Friendship was always a strong theme within his creations. For example, The Muppets and Sesame Street; both of these shows still provide joy for children and adults alike. Henson was a friend to everyone. In ways, he still is.

"Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom." Famed French essayist and writer, Marcel Proust, wrote plenty of friendship over his years in Paris. Recently, a selection of handwritten letters - from Proust to his friends - were put to auction on Sotheby's. In those letters, Proust can be found speaking to his friends and lovers in ways that bring them all back to life.

"We cannot tell the precise moment when friendship is formed. As in filling a vessel drop by drop, there is at last a drop which makes it run over; so in a series of kindnesses there is at last one which makes the heart run over." Ray Bradbury is the man responsible for such tales as Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles. He was also great friends with the one and only Walt Disney. The two met in the 60s and bonded over their shared fascination with the future. As a result of their friendship, Disney would go on to hire Bradbury to write a storyline for the attraction, "Spaceship Earth."

“Never leave a friend behind. Friends are all we have to get us through this life–and they are the only things from this world that we could hope to see in the next.” Dean Koontz is a best-selling author and one of the greatest writers in the business of thrillers. Often cruelly misjudged as being a budget Stephen King, Koontz has written more than 100 novels over his time in the writing world. This quote is from one of his books entitled "Fear Nothing" about a 28-year-old man who cannot leave the house during the day.

“It’s the friends you can call up at 4 am that matter.” Marlene Dietrich is known mostly for her androgynous style, cheekbones, and the incredible way she wielded a cigarette. However, during her lifetime, one of her closest friendships was with the French chanteuse, Edith Piaf. The two met on what would become one of Piaf's many trips to New York. They were instant and lifelong friends.

“Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born.” Franco-American writer Anais Nin went down in the barrels of history for her raunchy writing partnership with her lover, Henry Miller. The two had an epic, heavy love affair that spanned the ages. However, even after their love affair ended, they remained friends through their writing.

“The tender friendships one gives up, on parting, leave their bite on the heart, but also a curious feeling of a treasure somewhere buried.” One of Exupery's most famous books is "Le Petit Prince" (Or "The Little Prince"). The book is poignant in many ways, but it's in the friendship between the Little Prince and the fox that the heart of the story lies. Friendship is integral to the entire story, with the Prince himself being a friend to all.

“A friend is one that knows you as you are, understands where you have been, accepts what you have become, and still, gently allows you to grow.” Shakespeare might be the most infamous and most-read author in history. His plays also tend to have something in common: a theme of complicated and intense friendships. While many know Shakespeare for the love story-cum-tragedy that is Romeo and Juliet, the fragility and trust of friendships is a key theme throughout his texts. In a scene from 'Merry Wives of Windsor' one of the characters utters, "I desire you in friendship." For those of us who love our BFF more than our bae, this is everything.

“Don’t walk behind me; I may not lead. Don’t walk in front of me; I may not follow. Just walk beside me and be my friend.” French philosopher Albert Camus had an interesting view on friendship. In his novel, 'The Fall', Camus approaches friendship from the outside with a cutting commentary on the difficulties of maintaining a friendship. Perhaps this could go back to the early days in which Camus and fellow philosopher, the existentialist, Jean-Paul Sartre, and how their friendship fell apart. On the other hand, he has a point: You have to hold on to your friends the same way you would a romantic relationship.