Being straightforward on dates is a mechanism for two people to fast-forward time - and to spare themselves agony. We should know that a polished surface can't be a true picture of who anyone actually is. Only once our mutual complexities have been outlined should we believe that we are safe in the presence of a fellow mature and pleasingly direct individual. We will have the simpler relationships we desire when we can dare to share and accommodate the actual complexities of human nature.

— Simpler Life by Alain de Botton, The School Life of School The (Page 12)