If you thought Shakespeare was the only dude with a knack for writing about love, you'd be wrong. The love letter is not dead, only dormant. Sometimes the most heart-melting missives are penned by people you'd never suspect.
Take this beauty from 1994, voted the greatest love letter of all time in a poll:
"Happy Birthday Princess," the letter reads. "We get old and get used to each other. We think alike. We read each others (sic) minds. We know what the other wants without asking. Sometimes we irritate each other a little bit. Maybe sometimes take each other for granted.
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But once in awhile, like today, I meditate on it and realize how lucky I am to share my life with the greatest woman I ever met. You still fascinate and inspire me. You influence me for the better. You’re the object of my desire, the #1 Earthly reason for my existence. I love you very much."
Any guesses? The letter was actually written by Johnny Cash to the love of his life, June Carter, on the occasion of her 65th birthday. The pair were together for more than 30 years and died just four months apart. What I love most about the letter is its realism.
It's not all lust and sunsets. It's someone reflecting on real life and what it means to grow with another person over the years...
Some other contenders were more obvious choices—like poet John Keats and novelist Ernest Hemingway:
Care to share: What was the most romantic thing anyone has ever said/written to you?
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