14 Romantic Quotes For Your Valentine's Card

So you've chosen a Valentine's Day gift, you've bought a new lipstick, and you've booked a table at your loved one's favorite restaurant — but the hard part is yet to come. What on earth are you supposed to write in the card? How are you supposed to condense all your swirling feelings into something coherent?

Some people are born talented writers; most of us are not. Some mornings, I struggle even to write a grocery list (don't pretend you don't relate) — so how are we supposed to harness the world's most complicated and powerful emotion and get it down on paper? It's an impossible task — but luckily, we don't have to, because there are already so many beautifully written love notes on the pages of our favorite books. I mean, it would just be plain inefficient to start from scratch; why reinvent the wheel?

So before you head out on your Valentine's date this February 14, don't forget to scribble down some words of adoration to give to your love. These are the words of Jane Austen, of Henry James, and of Charles Dickens; these are words that have survived through the decades and are still every bit as powerful today. They're the perfect way to tell somebody special how you feel. (And hopefully, your date won't notice that you didn't actually write them yourself.)