There is one thing that, more than any other, throws people absolutely off their balance — the thought that you are dependant upon them. This is sure to produce an insolent and domineering manner towards you… they soon come to fancy that they can take liberties with you, and so they try to transgress the laws of politeness. This is why there are so few people with whom you care to become more intimate, and why you should avoid familiarity with shallow people.

Arthur Schopenhauer (1788 – 1860)