"A true friend is one who thinks you're a good…

“A true friend is one who thinks you’re a good egg even though you’re slightly cracked” is a saying that has been printed on many images. The saying has been cited in print since 1964, when it was credited to “Manhattan Mercury.”

The saying is frequently credited to American radio host Bernard Meltzer (1916-1998), but Meltzer (a popular New York City radio personality) began his program in 1967—after the first citations of the saying.

15 June 1964, Leavenworth (KS) Times, “This and That,” pg. 5, col. 2:
A true friend is one who thinks you’re a good egg even though you’re slightly cracked, says Manhattan Mercury.

19 July 1964, The Clarion-Ledger (Jackson, MS), “Hew-itt to the line” by Purser Hewitt, pg. 2-F, cols. 3-4:
A real friend is one who considers you a good egg, even though you’re slightly cracked.

7 November 1964, Hartford (CT) Courant, “Today’s Chuckle,” pg. 1, col. 8:
A true friend is one who thinks you’re a good egg even though you’re slightly cracked.

Google Books
14,000 Quips & Quotes:
For Speakers, Writers, Editors, Preachers, and Teachers
By E. C. McKenzie
Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House
1990, ©1980
Pg. 192:
A trusted friend thinks you’re a good egg — even though you might be slightly cracked.

Google Books
The Complete Book of Zingers
By Croft M. Pentz
Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House Publishers
1990
Pg. 116:
A friend is someone who thinks you’re a good egg even though you’re slightly cracked.

Google Books
Close Friends
By Vicky Ceelen
Kansas City, MO: Andrews McMeel
2002
Pg. ?:
“A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg even though he knows that you are slightly cracked.”
BERNARD MELTZER.

Google Books
The 2,320 Funniest Quotes:
The Most Hilarious Quips and One-Liners from AllGreatQuotes.com
Compiled by Tom Corr
Berkeley, CA: Ulysses Press
2011
Pg. 129:
A true friend is someone who thinks that you are a good egg though he knows that you are slightly cracked.
—Bernard Meltzer

Google Books
Food For Thought:
A Collection of Quotes
By Pam Pottorff
BookBaby
2015
Pg. ?:
A true friend is someone who thinks you are a good egg though he knows you are slightly cracked. Bernard Meltzer

Twitter
Rachel Mayo ☀️‏
@therachelmayo
A true friend is someone who thinks you’re a good egg even though he knows you are slightly cracked. -Bernard Meltzer 🙌🏻🙌🏻 #thanksfriends
7:46 PM - 8 Sep 2017 from Mount Juliet, TN

“A true friend is one who thinks you’re a good egg, even though you’re slightly cracked”