Quote of the day by Meg Cabot: 'As you age, you lose friends. With luck, you'll be able to hang on to your true friends. Because friends like that are more precious than all the tiaras in the world' - A timeless lesson on friendship by The Princess Diaries author

There comes a point in life when your contact list gets shorter, group chats go silent, and the people you once couldn't imagine living without slowly drift away. While that change can feel painful, bestselling author Meg Cabot believes it also reveals something beautiful. One of her most memorable quotes reminds us that growing older isn't about losing people, it is about discovering who truly belongs in our lives. Decades after it was written, the message continues to resonate with readers across generations.

The quote of the day is: "But as you age, you lose other, even more important things, like friends-hopefully only bad friends, who maybe weren't as good for you as you once thought. With luck, you'll be able to hang on to your true friends, the ones who were always there for you....even when you thought they weren't. Because friends like that are more precious then all the tiaras in the world”

The quote comes from Forever Princess, the tenth book in Meg Cabot's beloved The Princess Diaries series. It is spoken by the series' central character, Mia Thermopolis, whose journey from an ordinary teenager to the Princess of Genovia won millions of readers around the world. The mention of "tiaras" is a playful reference to Mia's royal life, but the message reaches far beyond fairy-tale royalty.

What does the quote mean?

In the nutshell, he quote says that growing older naturally changes our friendships. As life moves forward, people take different paths, priorities shift and not every relationship survives the passage of time. While that can feel like a loss, Meg Cabot suggests it is also a process of discovering which friendships are genuine.




The people who remain are often those who stand beside us through misunderstandings, long periods without talking, career changes, family responsibilities and life's many unexpected twists. They do not disappear simply because circumstances change.

The final line compares these rare friendships to "all the tiaras in the world." While tiaras symbolise wealth, glamour and status in Mia Thermopolis' world, Cabot reminds readers that sincere friendships are worth far more than material success. The people who truly understand, support and accept us become life's greatest treasure.

What does the quote teach us?

One of the biggest lessons from this quote is that the quality of friendships matters much more than the number of friends we have. Many people spend their younger years trying to fit in or maintain every relationship. As time passes, however, life naturally filters those connections.

Some friendships exist only for a particular stage of life. Others quietly fade because people grow in different directions. Instead of viewing this as failure, the quote encourages readers to see it as a healthy part of growing up.

It also reminds us that true friendship is not measured by daily conversations or constant meetings. Real friends may live in different cities, build different lives or speak less often, yet they continue to show up when it truly matters. Their loyalty survives distance, time and life's silent moments.

That is why the quote continues to feel so relatable. Almost everyone has experienced the sadness of losing touch with someone they once considered close. At the same time, most people also know the comfort of having one or two friends who never stop being there, no matter how much life changes.

Who is Meg Cabot?

Meg Cabot is a No. 1 New York Times bestselling American author known for her humorous storytelling, relatable characters and empowering female protagonists. Over the course of her career, she has written more than 80 books across children's fiction, young adult novels and adult romance.

She is especially recognised for writing in diary, email and text-message formats, allowing readers to experience stories directly through her characters' thoughts and emotions. Her books often focus on self-confidence, friendship, growing up and finding one's own identity.

Cabot's most famous work remains The Princess Diaries, which debuted in 2000. The 12-book young adult series follows Mia Thermopolis, an awkward New York teenager who discovers that she is the heir to the fictional European kingdom of Genovia after learning her father is its prince.

Written as Mia's personal diary, the books balance royal responsibilities with ordinary teenage life, covering everything from school exams and first love to family relationships and complicated friendships. The series became an international bestseller and later expanded through novellas, adult sequels and an upcoming graphic novel adaptation.

The huge success of The Princess Diaries books eventually caught Disney's attention. In 2001, the story was adapted into a film directed by Garry Marshall, with Anne Hathaway playing Mia Thermopolis and Julie Andrews as Queen Clarisse Renaldi. Although the movie changed some parts of the original story, including the setting and Mia's family background, it kept the heart, humour and coming-of-age journey that readers loved. The film, along with its 2004 sequel, went on to become a pop culture favourite.

More than two decades later, excitement continues to surround the franchise. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter, Meg Cabot admitted with a laugh that she has "a problem keeping my mouth shut" before revealing that she has already read several versions of the script for The Princess Diaries 3. She shared that Anne Hathaway is set to reprise her role as Mia Thermopolis, now Queen of Genovia, making fans even more eager for the long-awaited sequel.

Whether readers discover Meg Cabot through The Princess Diaries books or the iconic films, this quote remains one of her most enduring thoughts.