Virtue is like a precious stone—it looks best when kept simple. In the same way, virtue shines brightest in someone who is presentable and dignified, rather than excessively beautiful. Those who are very beautiful often lack the great energy or spirit that comes with striving for inner excellence, as though nature focused more on avoiding flaws than on creating greatness. These people may be polished and charming, but their focus is often on manners rather than on virtue itself.
However, this is not always the case. Augustus Caesar, Titus Vespasian, Philip the Fair of France, Edward IV of England, Alcibiades of Athens, and Ismael the Sophy of Persia were all remarkable men with great energy and leadership—and also among the most handsome of their times.
When it comes to beauty, expressions matter more than skin tone, and graceful movement is even more important than a pleasing face. The best beauty is something that can’t be captured in a painting or fully appreciated at first glance. There is no true beauty without a certain uniqueness or even oddity in how features are proportioned.
Some artists, like Apelles and Albert Dürer, tried to create the perfect face, either by using mathematical proportions or by combining the best features from different people. But such creations often please no one except the artist. While it’s possible for an artist to create a face more beautiful than any that exists in reality, this requires a natural talent or inspiration—like a musician composing a great melody—not strict adherence to rules.
You’ll sometimes see faces that don’t seem particularly remarkable when you examine their features individually, yet somehow they work beautifully as a whole. If it’s true that movement and expression are the heart of beauty, it’s no surprise that older people often seem more attractive—they have a certain elegance that youth lacks. As the saying goes, “The autumn of beauty is beautiful.” Young people can only appear graceful if we excuse their rawness and see their potential.
Beauty is like summer fruit—it’s quick to spoil and doesn’t last long. It often leads to reckless behaviour in youth and insecurity in old age. But when beauty is paired with good character, it highlights virtues and makes faults harder to ignore.
Bacon Blueprint 