The Friends We Made Along the Way – Meaning & Origin

“The friends we made along the way” is one of those phrases that you’ve surely seen over and over, particularly in fiction, but also perhaps in real life. But what does it actually refer to? And how could you even use it? This article will answer these questions.

The Friends We Made Along the Way – Meaning

The full phrase involved here is “the real treasure was the friends that we made along the way”, and this expression means exactly what it appears to say. In a quest where someone was trying to attain a treasure, the real treasure was the friends they made along the way.

It’s a classic trope in fiction, in which someone embarks on a journey to try to achieve or attain something. By the end of the journey, they’ve achieved their goal, and also had a realization.

This realization is that whatever their goal was is of lesser value when compared to the friends and companions they made in the journey to achieve their goal.

How to Use “The Friends We Made Along the Way” in a Sentence

You’d be surprised at how many different ways there are to incorporate “the friends we made along the way” into a sentence, and here we’ve created several example sentences to highlight exactly this very fact:

1. The friends we made along the way were the real treasure all along, you see, and this is good.
2. When I look at what I loved the most about this journey, it’s the friends we made along the way.
3. The friends we made along the way were loyal companions, and they have a lot of value.
4. The friends we made along the way are shining examples that the journey matters more.
5. The friends we made along the way are fantastic people, and I love them all quite a lot.
6. The friends we made along the way are all quite interesting folks, with a lot to say.
7. When you think about the real value of this journey, it’s the friends we made along the way.
8. Looking at the friends we made along the way makes me really thankful for this trip.

The Friends We Made Along the Way – Origin

There is no actually defined origin for the phrase “the friends we made along the way” or “the real treasure was the friends we made along the way”. It’s a phrase that people point to as a cliche, but that we don’t have a precise example of it happening.

The Friends We Made Along the Way – Synonyms

The general sentiment that what you encountered in the journey was more valuable than the outcome of the journey itself is a common one, and therefore there are several alternative expressions you can use instead of “the friends we made along the way”:

• The real treasure was the connections we made with each other.
• What really mattered in the end wasn’t the destination, but the journey to get there.
• The real value was from the things we discovered along the way.
• What really mattered wasn’t the prize of the tournament, but the matches themselves.
• The real treasure was the people we met along the way.

Phrases That Mean the Opposite of “The Friends We Made Along the Way”

There are some phrases that can express the opposite sentiment to “the friends we made along the way”, which would mean that they’d be talking about how the real treasure was not the friends we made along the way. Here are some of them:

• The real treasure was the big box filled with gold coins that we got as a reward.
• The real treasure wasn’t the friends we made along the way, but the money we got.
• The real treasure of the journey was the destination itself, and not the journey at all.
• What mattered in the end wasn’t what had happened in the way, but where we got to.
• The friends we made along the way were not the real treasure of the journey.

Correct Ways to Say “The Friends We Made Along the Way”

The phrase “the friends we made along the way” is a very variable one, because of how popular it is. Here we’ve logged some popular variations of the phrase so you can be somewhat more relaxed in your usage of it:

• The real treasure was the buddies we made during the journey.
• The real prize was the friends that we discovered along the way.
• The real value of the journey was the friends we made along the way.
• The true prize was the connections we made with each other during this trip.

In What Situations Can You Use “The Friends We Made Along the Way”?

In any situation in which you’ve realized that the true value of the situation was not its outcome, but the fact that you grew closer with the people around you during the process, you can use “the friends we made along the way” with no issues.