Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
We stopped a few dapper grandpas on the streets of New York and asked them to give their best advice on love.
By Danielle Page — Written on Jan 05, 2022
Back in the day, romance was no easy thing. If you wanted to flirt with a girl, you had to do it face to face — or actually pick up the phone and give her a call.
With no string of emojis to use as a crutch, you had to tell your lady how you felt using actual words. We're talking handwritten letters here.
So, to bring back some of those tried-and-true romance techniques, we asked some old school Casanovas for their take on how to find (and keep) a partner — and they didn't disappoint.
This is what these grandpas had to say about their best piece of love advice.
Accept your partner's shortcomings.
Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
"In the book David Copperfield by Charles Dickens, David marries a woman who is beautiful and lovely. She's not particularly bright, but she's kind-hearted, good and generous. David realizes that he needs to focus on what's nice and good about this person, and to recognize what's lacking and live with it.
If you're in love with someone, you're going to have disputes. You're going to have differences. You're going to believe in different things. Don't make it personal. Accept the good things about that person, and accept and live with what you might want to improve but can't improve. Focus on the positives." —Harvey
Don't try to do it all at once.
Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
"When it comes to love, remember: all things in moderation. Moderation is key." —Les
Listen to each other.
Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
"Listen to each other, and really hear what your partner is saying. We've been married for a long time, and listening is key." —George
Love takes time.
Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
"Love develops over a period of time. Quite often, phsyical attraction makes you feel like you're in love and so forth and so on. But actually, love develops over time, and you get more appreciative of the person." —Neil
Trust and respect are key.
Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
"We do everything for each other. I never feel like I'm doing too much and she never feels like she's doing too much.
We never take each other for granted. We trust and respect each other. That's the most important thing." —Dennis
Choose wisely.
Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
"Choosing to marry someone is a big decision, so make sure you pick wisely and don't have any 'what-ifs.'" —Mark
Laugh with each other.
Photo: Lindsay Michelle Photography
"Just keep laughing." —Jim
Danielle Page is a writer and editor whose work has been featured on Woman’s Day, Bustle, Cosmopolitan, The New York Times, Thought Catalog and Huffington Post. Visit her website or Twitter for more.
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