The first philosophy book i read was Nietzsche's Human, all too human.

The title attracted me as a youngster. one passage has stuck with me ever since I first read it:

"Love and respect . Love desires; fear avoids. That is why it is impossible, at least in the same time span, to be loved and respected by the same person. For the man who respects another, acknowledges his power; that is, he fears it: his condition is one of awe[...]"

I think this has nothing to do with my writing a paper on love and respect 12 years later though. Really - he's talking about a different kind of respect, I hope.

I lost the book somewhere along the way, so I picked up a copy tonight.

But there are lotsa gems in there, like:

Lack of intimacy - a lack of intimacy among friends is a mistake that cannot be censured without becoming irreparable.

Hmm. This hits a little close to home. I've been bugging a friend about our lack of intimacy -- which is not the same as censuring -- but I wonder if this is almost as bad as censuring, as far as rendering the lack of intimacy permanent. Hope not.  ¶ 12:00 AM