All four writers, Aristotle, Cicero, Montaigne and Emerson discuss the importance of male friendship and all four characters make statements about the superiority of friendship compared to other associations. However, the tone, interpretation of friendship, and manner of rhetoric are influenced by the translation of the individual writer's culture. Aristotle uses a rather categorical approach to friendship. By making rigorous delineations and then using examples, he establishes a rather rigorous definition of friendship created along social class lines. He holds, among other things, that friendship must be between equally virtuous men of equal standing. Furthermore, the purest form of friendship, and what Aristotle considers the only true friendship, is that between two men and is free from external reciprocity. The writer who most directly addresses Aristotle's assessment of friendship is Cicero in his Laelius: On Friendship. Rather bitingly, it begins with Laelius noting that he does not pretend to be like the Greeks "who claim to have the ability to deal with any subject you want to put before them, without the slightest preparation." In fact, the entire presentation is at odds with the didactic manner used by Aristotle. Laelius, throughout the work, states his lack of experience on the subject, which is in stark contrast to Aristotle who presupposed knowledge of the subject. Thus, although Cicero intentionally diverges from Aristotle's style, he nevertheless adopts many of Aristotle's maxims. Like Aristotle, Cicero maintains that we must "put friendship above all other human concerns" and that "friendship is possible only between good men" who are similar and equal to each other. Furthermore, in claiming...... middle of paper ......ip, he seems to have an opinion on friendship based on his solitary life and which is rightfully unrelated to other writers' opinions on friendship. By examining the views of Aristotle, Cicero, Montaigne, and Emerson on friendship, one can see how the meaning of friendship has evolved over time and see their respective perceptions of friendship exemplify the writers' cultural values. Aristotle took a somewhat elitist view on friendship due to the social hierarchy of Athenian society; Cicero assumes a more realistic one due to the politics of Roman friendships; Montaigne adopts a more modern interpretation of friendship as time goes on, and eventually Emerson's transcendental beliefs are shown in his writings on friendship. However, it is surprising that, despite the time span and cultures, everyone agrees on the profound importance of friendship for individuals.