We should not treat women like princesses, but with the same respect we would treat our mothers, sisters, the whole of humanity, etc. “Niceness” isn’t idolizing the women we date, niceness is the appreciation, recognition, and courtesy that should come with every relationship. This should never degrade over time or because we’ve had encounters with women who do not appreciate it.
Also, niceness has nothing to do with being a pushover, but with holding one’s self to a certain level of integrity. And always entering a new relationship with that same integrity, no matter how poorly the last one might have ended. Nice guys/people do not always finish last, but rarely are they first. Danger is a seductive animal, and many women/people must wrestle with it before they learn its lesson and turn to seek kindness. And if we stay true to that kindness, in the end, the right ones will find us.
“Character cannot be made except by a steady, long, continued process.”
—Phillips Brooks