How many licks to the center?

How many layers must we reveal before we know the true meaning of something? It's that old adage, of how many licks it takes to get to the epicenter of that epitomous lollipop. In life, we continue to use our tongue to expose the quick of various individuals. How many days or conversations does it take to get to the true self? Is there a litmus test which I can use to analyze another's revealing layers? Take what you see at face value, but always know there is something deeper - darker, more obscure, complexer. It is when we reach this core that we really find out who that person actually is. Take a few licks, and pretty soon, you'll find out just what you're in for, or who you're in for.