Love at first sight—it’s a romantic idea, but the truest test of love doesn’t come at first glance. It comes after the first contact, after the initial spark has faded into reality.

For now, love her from a distance. Love her in your thoughts. That’s all you need to do. If you rush, if you insist, she may call you a lout—a fool who doesn’t understand the magnitude of what he’s pursuing. So, for now, love her from a distance. Love her in your thoughts.

Before you approach her, I ask you to prepare yourself, to make yourself strong enough to endure her flames. Do you know a stone stronger than diamond, one capable of resisting the sun? She is the sun, blazing with intensity and brilliance. And I want you to become that stone. To love her is a dangerous adventure, one that will demand your utmost courage and resilience.

But ask yourself: do you have the right to love her, my brother? Do you have the strength and the courage?

Have you fought for her? And, if so, against whom have you fought? As a wise German philosopher once posed, “Are you victorious? Are you the conqueror of yourself, the sovereign of your senses, the master of your virtues?” These are the battles that must come first—the battle to master yourself, to become worthy of the love you seek.

And if, after all your effort, she still does not look at you, at least she will not love you out of pity. At least, you will carry your self-respect with you. Because there is no greater bitterness than love born of pity. Those who have not conquered themselves cannot endure the bitter side of love. That bitterness festers, turning into hatred—hatred of oneself, of the beloved, and even of the world.

Remember, it is her love you seek, not her pity. To earn her love, you must first prove you are worthy—not to her, but to yourself. The man who aspires to love must, above all, surpass himself. Love is not a mere emotion; it is a mountain. A high, towering mountain that demands strength and courage to climb.

But know this: anyone who claims love must also be prepared to endure the fall from that mountain. For beneath the heights of love lies an abyss. And in that abyss, hatred lurks—a dark, consuming hatred born of loss, rejection, or failure. This is the risk of love. This is the cost of aiming for the summit.

And yet, my brother, I urge you to become better—not just to earn her love, but to ensure you can withstand the potential fall. Because love is not just about the triumph; it is about the resilience to face the abyss and emerge unbroken. Beneath the mountain of love lies a chasm that can destroy the unprepared. Such suffering, I would not wish even on my worst enemy.

So, if you choose to love her, do so with strength, with courage, and with the wisdom to endure. Love her as the sun, and become the stone that can endure her flames. Love her with the resolve to risk the fall—and the strength to rise again if you do.