"Do not open your heart to everyone, but only to one who is wise, God-fearing, and who can keep your confidence...do not flatter the rich, or seek to be in the presence of the great without good reason.
Rather associate yourself with those who are humble and have simplicity, who are devout and self-disciplined, talking with them about those things that will edify and strengthen the soul...Have charity for all but familiarity is unwise. Sometimes it happens that we know a person only by his fame, but when we meet him we are often disappointed. And sometimes we think we please others by our presence, when in reality, they come to dislike us because of the faults they see in us."
There is so much wisdom in The Imitation of Christ. If you haven't read it yet, you might like to pick up a copy at the library.
