We will become whoever we surround ourselves with. Your friendships, just like everything else, affect your life. Surrounding yourself with positive people will give you positive energy. On the other hand, surrounding yourself with negative people will drain your energy and make many things negative. Then you might have a question: What type of people should I not trust in life? Lord Buddha said there are four kinds of fools in the guise of friends.

Takers are people who only think about taking advantage of us. They may want a lot in return for giving a little. They may offer their service only when they get into trouble. They only see friendship as something beneficial.

True friendship is based on giving. People should treat others the way they want to be treated. The taker does it the other way around. In their eyes, we are objects they shall take advantage of.

Some people keep talking about the favor of what they did to us in the past or of what they promise they will do for us in the future. They try to please us with useless stuff or empty promises. And when you need their help, they always find an excuse not to do it. Associating ourselves with a talker will give us a headache because of their irresponsibility.

Flatterers agree with you in everything, either good or bad. They sing your praises to your face but criticize you behind your back. These people will only speak about something you want to hear, but that’s not always from their heart. Flatterers are whom we should not trust, or otherwise, we will be hurt by their betrayal.

When you indulge in drinking, nightlife, watching shows or entertainment, or gambling, these friends will be your companions. They appeal to your weaknesses, and time spent with them will often result in regretful moments later. Associating with them will not only ruin your life's balance, time management, and organization but also wastefully blow away all your savings and reputation.

A true friendship is based on giving, truthfulness, respect, and prosperity. We’ve learned about characters of people we should not surround ourselves with, But it’s not about putting labels on people’s foreheads and calling them false friends. We should ensure first that we are not takers, talkers, flatterers, and reckless companions to our friends. With the law of attraction, these four kinds of people will be repelled from our lives, and true friends will appear before us.