इक्षोरग्रात्क्रमशः पर्वणि पर्वणि यथा रसविशेषः ।
तद्वत्सज्जनमैत्री विपरीतानां तु विपरीता ॥
ikṣor agrāt kramaśaḥ parvaṇi parvaṇi yathā rasa-viśeṣaḥ |
tadvat sajjana-maitrī viparītānāṁ tu viparītā ||
(Pañcatantra: 2.38)
“As special taste is gradually produced in segment after segment of sugarcane from the tip onwards, so too it is in friendship with the virtuous [i.e., the sweetness gradually increases as the relationship develops]. It is the opposite [i.e., bitterness gradually arises], however, with the opposite [i.e., the unvirtuous].”