Hi Navegante, This is piece of advice. By observing the friends who associate with this person, we can infer about his or her character. Example: A man is known by the company he keeps -- just look at how uncouth his friends are! You have a part to play for the judge's unfavourable impression of you -- one is known by the company one keeps. Just as a side discussion, the proverb "Birds of a feather flock together" also advises us that people of similar tastes, interests and characters usually spend time in each other's company. Hope this helps. Cheers, Lance

Nice flag! This is a saying which is a complete sentence. You would not extend the sentence. If you are looking for some context, you would use this to pass a judgment - usually a negative one - on the character of a person. If someone spends a lot of time with criminals but then seems to be polite and respectable, you would not usually trust him.