If I have two defining characteristics, they're that I love philosophy and am awful at dating. Lucky for me, and anyone else out who is better with books than people, I've found that reading about and learning from some philosophers can really help you with your relationships (romantic ones included).

Besides, winter is approaching quickly, and what's better than cozying up on a cold morning with a nice cup of tea to delve into a good book?

1. To start off with a personal favorite, Lao Tzu.

Tzu is an excellent starting point for someone just testing the waters of philosophy. He was an ancient Chinese philosopher, and founded the religion of Taoism (or Daoism). His primary work, the "Tao Te Ching", is a collection of short poems that discuss the nature of life, society, and humanity's relationship to the rest of the world. Most of the time, his meaning isn't very obvious - but that's the beauty of his work.

It's ambiguous and totally up to your interpretation, which can help you discover more about the meaning of life and the nature of relationships, as well as how to live mindfully in our increasingly modern and fast-paced world. I found one particular poem very interesting; it discussed the nature of emptiness and its relationship to usefulness, with the ultimate conclusion that when something is empty, it is most useful, for it is at that moment it has the greatest potential to be filled.

As someone who's never been in a relationship before and has a lot of fear about my lack of experience, I came to realize that lacking dating experience could actually help me grow to be a great partner and realize my full potential in a relationship, should I ever find myself in one. After all, it's easier to start fresh than it is to break bad habits!

My copy of the Tao Te Ching is filled with annotations - great for reflecting!

The next philosopher on this list will probably be a little controversial - he's lowkey the bad boy of the Enlightenment.

2. You already guessed, it's Jean-Jacques Rousseau!

Rousseau's most influential work is most likely The Social Contract, a book that discusses political philosophy and how to create a better, fairer state than the monarchies that dominated Europe in Rousseau's period. Now, I know what you're thinking - how the heck can political philosophy help me in a relationship?

Well, Rousseau's biggest focus was on how people could maintain authentic freedom and individuality in an increasingly interdependent society - a similar struggle that many often have in a relationship.

While it's often easy to lose our individual identity in the face of a collective, be it a romantic relationship or society, Rousseau believes that we can maintain our dignity and sense of worth through an ardent focus on self-love. By doing so, we also gain the respect of others, and are willing to go out of our way to meet their needs and benefit both ourselves and those around us, including our partners. Not such bad advice from an old Frenchman!

This last guy is definitely going to come as a surprise, given the distinctly negative reputation he's garnished over the past few decades, but some of his ideas could be considered really great, if unorthodox, relationship advice.

3. It's Nietzsche, the famed nihilist.

Now, Nietzsche certainly has plenty of ideas I don't really agree with - he's pretty pessimistic - but there are a few really interesting tidbits anyone looking for love may enjoy. In particular, he put forth the idea that there is no stable, absolute state of being for people, that we must consistently work to better ourselves.

Only by empowering ourselves through this growth can we succeed in life. In many cases, this seems to be true for relationships as well; if you want a really solid dynamic with your partner, you've got to work on your relationship and ensure that you're both putting in the effort to meet each other's needs and make each other happy. That's not to say it's all work and no fun, but more that the power to have a strong, meaningful, happy relationship requires significant effort from everyone - but that's why relationships are so special.

Look at his moustache! Insaneen.wikipedia.org

If there is one person you should DEFINITELY not listen to for dating advice, it's Niccolo Machiavelli.

He's not a bad philosopher or anything; his political philosophy is actually fascinating. However, the WORST advice I've ever been given is to use his seminal work, The Prince, as a guideline for relationships! For context, The Prince is all about power, control, and how to strategically gain advantages over others for your own betterment.

That's all well and good if you're a king, or mad with power, or both, but definitely not if you're trying to find a loving, trusting relationship!