The most recognizable quote from Of Mice and Men indicates how the need for friendship and the dream of a better life drive the decisions and actions of the two main characters.

On the way to the next ranch in the novella’s opening chapter, Lennie begs George to tell him the story. George obliges:

George’s voice became deeper. He repeated his words rhythmically as though he had said them many times before. “Guys like us, that work on ranches, are the loneliest guys in the world. They got no family. They don’t belong no place...They ain’t got nothing to look ahead to.”

With this statement, George recognizes the loneliness of migrant workers, their lack of connection with everyday society, and the unease that comes from poverty and uncertainty. However, as he assures Lennie, who is eager to hear the story,

With us it ain’t like that. We got a future. We got somebody to talk to that gives a damn about us...If them other guys gets in jail they can rot for all anybody gives a damn. But not us.

Right on cue, Lennie echoes “But not us!”

The reader understands that George has led Lennie through this story many times before.

The uniqueness of their friendship is highlighted when George and Lennie arrive at the ranch in Salinas. When the boss interviews them, George assures him Lennie is a good worker. The boss is skeptical and demands to know if George plans to take Lennie’s pay. George replies that of course he won’t take Lennie’s money, and the boss says,

Well, I never seen one guy take so much trouble for another guy. I just like to know what your interest is.

George quickly makes up a line that Lennie is his cousin. Friendship among the migrant workers is so rare that the boss can’t see any relationship that isn’t familial or transactional.

Later, when Slim questions George about Lennie, George explains again that Lennie is a good worker and adds,

I ain’t got no people...I seen the guys that go around on the ranches alone. That ain’t no good. They don’t have no fun.

The bond between George and Lennie and the determination with which George builds his vision of having a place of their own is so strong that their conversations draw in the other workers, like Candy and Crooks, who want to participate in that vision.

George wants a better life and sees friendship and cooperation as the way to get there, indicating his fundamental goodness. That quality makes his repetition of “guys like us” and his decision at the novella’s conclusion all the more tragic.

In Of Mice and Men, some of the best quotes about friendship are from Slim.

In Chapter 2, Steinbeck describes Slim as a regal figure.  Being "the prince of the ranch," Slim's "authority was so great that his word was taken on any subject, be it politics or love."  Therefore, when Slim talks about how George and Lennie "look after each other," he makes a statement on the rarity of friendship:

Slim looked through George and beyond him. “Ain’t many guys travel around together,” he mused. “I don’t know why. Maybe ever’body in the whole damn world is scared of each other.”

Slim's words communicate how valuable it is to find a friend. The fear of other people prevents people from forging friendships with another.  This is one reason why the friendship between George and Lennie is so special.

In chapter 3, Slim further remarks about distinctive quality in George's and Lennie's friendship.  When George and Slim sit down to talk, Slim's words speak to the uniqueness of true friendship: 

“Oh, I dunno. Hardly none of the guys ever travel together. I hardly never seen two guys travel together. You know how the hands are, they just come in and get their bunk and work a month, and then they quit and go out alone. Never seem to give a damn about nobody."

The world that Slim describes is a very lonely one.  People act as transients, moving from one place to another.  This world is not conducive to friendship and loyalty.  Slim's description is effective in communicating the importance of friendship, and why what George and Lennie share is so extraordinary.

The conversations about rabbits are good quotes of friendship from Of Mice and Men.

George and Lennie are close friends.  They travel around together, and George looks out for Lennie even though Lennie is mentally challenged.  To keep Lennie happy, George makes up a story about how they are going to work until they have enough money to have a rabbit farm.

"O.K. Someday- we're gonna get the jack together and we're gonna have a little house and a couple of acres an' a cow and some pigs and-"

"An' live off the fatta the lan'," Lennie shouted. "An' have rabbits. (ch 1)

This quote shows that George is a good friend because he does not just protect Lennie, he distracts him with a myth.  The myth keeps them going, and gives Lennie something to think about when they are traveling.

What are some quotes and explanations which show friendship in Of Mice and Men?

Friendship, and its scarcity among ranch workers, is a central theme in the novel. George and Lennie are unusual in traveling together and seeking work together in a period when jobs are scarce. Without any explicit reference to a possible sexual relationship, Slim remarks on their pairing, "Funny how you an' him string along together."

George takes issue with the comment and explains that the two of them knew each other back home long ago. Their friendship naturally evolved; they "Got kinda used to each other after a little while.”

For African Americans, it was more challenging not only to make friends but also to even find a welcoming atmosphere, due to racist discrimination and segregation. Crooks explains the limitations imposed on him and the toll they take:

S’pose you couldn’t go into the bunk house and play rummy ‘cause you was black. How’d you like that? S’pose you had to sit out here an’ read books. . . . Books ain’t no good. A guy needs somebody—to be near him. . . . A guy goes nuts if he ain’t got nobody. Don’t make no difference who the guy is, long’s he’s with you.

George and Lennie often acknowledge their dependence on each other. As Lennie succinctly states, "I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you."

What are some quotes and explanations which show friendship in Of Mice and Men?

George and Lennie speak about their frienship and how this sets them apart from other itinerant workers. While many men working as farm-hands in the era travel from place to place alone, George and Lennie stick together.

Though we might say that George looks after Lennie as a caretaker, it is also true that Lennie serves as a companion for George. Neither man is alone in his travels or in his toil. 

We can see this idea explicitly expressed in the first chapter of the novel (and later as well): 

Lennie broke in. “But not us! An’ why? Because…because I got you to look after me, and you got me to look after you, and that’s why.” 

Lennie's value to George is nowhere clearer than in this passage. Lennie emphatically and clearly quotes something that George has often said. The fact that this is a quote (Lennie quoting George) suggests that George and Lennie feel similarly about the benefits of their friendship.