Laws and rules are made for the average. The ordinary man cannot live without rules to guide his conduct. It is infinitely more difficult to live without rules, but that is what the really honest, sincere, thinking man is compelled to do.

-- Frank Lloyd Wright

A little more than 100 years ago, a little bald electrical engineer lived quietly in the city of Chicago.

By all accounts, he was a quiet and unassuming person of good standing, known for his generosity and well-liked by his neighbors, who invariably called him "a prince of a man."

He fell in love with a woman who had ambitions that were unusual. She was 30 years old when she married him. She spoke several languages, read Goethe in the original German, and soon after their wedding enrolled in the University of Chicago to study literature.

She wanted to be a writer, but her most notable contribution to letters would be her work translating writings of Swedish feminist and author Ellen Key, who advocated for progressive ideas about love, marriage, and women's rights. The engineer's wife admired Key's ideas, which were ahead of their time and emphasized personal fulfillment, especially for women.

Key was an advocate for what's often referred to as "free love," though her views were nuanced and grounded in the belief that individuals had the right to seek personal happiness and fulfillment. She didn't advocate for promiscuity, but stressed the importance of authentic relationships based on mutual respect and emotional connection instead of societal obligation or........

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