My biggest turn-on has to be brains, intelligence.

Hearken, seekers of insight and affection, and listen to the words of Liz Vassey, who spoke not of fleeting beauty, but of a deeper desire that stirs the spirit: “My biggest turn-on has to be brains, intelligence.” In this simple yet profound confession lies an eternal truth — that the highest form of attraction is not to the body but to the mind, not to surface shimmer but to the fire of thought that burns behind the eyes. For though time fades all flesh, intelligence endures, radiant and irresistible to those who yearn for connection beyond the transient.

In ages past, the ancients too knew this truth. The philosopher Plato spoke of love ascending from the physical to the divine — beginning with beauty of form, then rising toward beauty of soul and intellect. To love another’s mind, he said, is to love the divine spark within them — the eternal flame of understanding that connects mortal to immortal. Thus, when Vassey declares that her greatest attraction lies in intelligence, she speaks with the voice of centuries, echoing the wisdom of those who saw love not as indulgence, but as awakening.

Intelligence, in its truest form, is not mere knowledge, but curiosity — the restless search for meaning, the ability to question and wonder. The one who is intelligent sees the world not as fixed, but alive, mysterious, and layered. To encounter such a soul is to be drawn into orbit around their light — for conversation with them becomes a dance, a journey, a shared creation. This is why the wise find beauty not in symmetry, but in depth; not in perfection, but in perception.

History itself bears witness to this power. Consider the love between Voltaire and Émilie du Châtelet, the brilliant mathematician and philosopher who was both his muse and his equal. Their bond was not founded on appearance, but on intellect — on nights spent debating physics and translating Newton. Their letters pulse with passion not of the flesh alone, but of the mind in motion. Through her, Voltaire found his thought sharpened and his vision expanded. Through him, she found her genius celebrated. Their love stands as proof that intelligence is eros — the union of thought and fire that births understanding and creation alike.

Yet, Vassey’s words also carry a quiet defiance — a reminder that true attraction resists society’s obsession with appearances. In a world dazzled by surfaces, to desire intelligence is an act of rebellion. It is to choose connection over vanity, conversation over spectacle. It is to value what is rare — the spark that cannot be bought, imitated, or diminished by time. Such attraction is not shallow lust but sacred recognition — the meeting of minds that recognize one another as kindred spirits.

There is a lesson here for all who seek love or meaning: nurture the mind, for it is the source of your lasting beauty. Read widely. Ask questions. Seek to understand not only the world, but yourself. For the more light you cultivate within, the more luminous you become to others. True love — like true wisdom — is drawn to radiance, and the most radiant light is that of a thoughtful soul.

Finally, let Liz Vassey’s insight remind us that the most enduring attraction is born of intellect and empathy intertwined. The one who listens deeply, thinks freely, and dreams boldly becomes magnetic, for they awaken the same in others. In the end, the heart follows not the face, but the mind that can stir it to think, to laugh, and to grow. For passion fades, but understanding deepens — and to be turned on by intelligence is to be turned toward the infinite.