As kids, we learn to befriend everyone. We're taught that by becoming friends with many people that we will grow socially, mentally, and emotionally, and for some time, that's true. But as we grow older, friends become few and far between, and that's a good thing.

When I graduated from high school, I had a very small circle of friends - six or seven people at most. I still call many of them my friends, but in the four years since then, I've maintained two very best friends. And that's all I really need. That's not to say that I don't appreciate my friends, but some are closer than others.

You see, I've learned throughout my time in college to choose quality over quantity. I would rather have a couple of friends who I know will always be there for me than many friends who are selective about when they associate with me. The friends that are most important are the ones with which you can maintain a relationship despite distance. They call and/or text you daily and vice versa. They're the ones that are genuinely interested in your life, in how your day went, what work was like, how that test was. They're there for you through the small things in life, too. They celebrate even your tiniest of accomplishments and encourage you to be the best you.

Quality friends are like quarters. They have substantial value, and you need very few of them to achieve worth. Quantity friends are like pennies. Their value isn't quite as high, and you need several of them. In other words, would you rather carry 4 quarters to make a dollar or 100 pennies? I'll take the quarters any day.

As an adult, you have to maintain some standards for friends. You've finally reached a stage in your life where you're settling into your career and possibly even getting married and having children. You'll want to surround yourself with a few like-minded people. That is, if you haven't already. You want people to talk to about the changes that your life is undergoing because oftentimes, they're going through the same thing, too.

For me, my quality friends are the friends that my parents consider to be their own. They're the ones who visit my family even when I'm not home. They're the ones who drop by just to see what's for dinner. They're the ones that make plans with me for the holidays. They're the ones who see my parents as some of their own. They're the ones. They're the ones that have been with me through thick and thin, and I'm prepared to do anything and everything for them.

In my experience, quality comes with a pretty expensive price tag, and in the grand scheme of friendships, that price tag translates to time. A quality friend isn't made overnight. They can't be mass produced. They're one-of-a-kind, like a pearl or a snowflake - no two are ever alike. So, consider that best friend you've had for 10+ years a quality friend. You can find a large quantity like them, but you'll never find another of such high quality