You may keep your beauty and your health, unless you destroy them

In the timeless words of William Temple, philosopher and archbishop, we are given a truth both gentle and stern: “You may keep your beauty and your health, unless you destroy them yourself, or discourage them to stay with you, by using them ill.” These words flow not from pride, but from wisdom—reminding us that beauty and health are gifts bestowed upon us by nature, yet entrusted to our own keeping. They are not eternal by right, but by reverence. Like light in a lamp, they shine so long as we tend them with care; but if we neglect them, or misuse them, the flame grows dim.

Temple’s wisdom belongs to the lineage of the ancients, who saw the body and soul as twin guardians of life’s harmony. To the wise, beauty was not vanity, nor health a mere condition of flesh—they were signs of balance, reflections of the inner spirit’s order. When one lived in moderation, with gratitude, courage, and truth, the body remained radiant, and the countenance brightened with the quiet light of virtue. But when one surrendered to excess, anger, idleness, or neglect, the body itself bore witness to the decay within. Thus, Temple’s words remind us that our gifts are not lost by fate, but by our own misuse of them.

Consider the story of Cleopatra, last queen of Egypt, whose beauty and power were sung across the world. She was not merely adorned by cosmetics or jewels, but by intellect and vitality. Yet in her later years, when despair and pride overtook her heart, she turned her gifts against herself. Her beauty faded not by the hand of time, but by the sorrow she kindled within. Her health failed as her spirit fractured. In her downfall, we see the truth of Temple’s warning: that those who misuse their blessings—by vanity, by indulgence, or by self-destruction—become the architects of their own ruin.

And yet, the quote carries not judgment, but hope. Temple speaks as one who believes in the power of choice. “You may keep your beauty and your health,” he says—not through miracle, but through mindfulness. The gifts of life are not fragile if we honor them. The body renews itself daily; the heart heals; even the mind, wearied by the world, finds peace when treated with kindness. Thus, beauty and health are not possessions to be displayed, but living forces to be nurtured through gratitude, rest, discipline, and joy.

His warning to “use them ill” strikes at the deeper heart of human folly. For how often do we mistreat what we have been given? We poison our health with reckless habits, and our beauty with bitterness. We neglect the temple of our body, or adorn it with pride instead of reverence. We chase false images of perfection and forget that true beauty is born of serenity and purpose. To “discourage” health and beauty, as Temple says, is not to be punished by the heavens—it is to turn away from the harmony that nature freely offers to all who walk in wisdom.

The ancients believed that beauty flowed from virtue, and health from discipline. The Stoics taught that a calm mind strengthens the body, and the body, when kept in temperance, supports the soul. The wise Confucius said that harmony begins within, and radiates outward to all things. Temple’s thought joins these teachings, reminding us that our physical and spiritual well-being are one continuous thread—break it, and the fabric of life unravels.

The lesson is clear: cherish what has been entrusted to you. Guard your health with gentleness—through nourishing food, through movement, through peace of mind. Honor your beauty by living with kindness and truth, for no ornament shines brighter than a good heart. Do not despise aging, nor fear change, for beauty and health, though they alter, remain with those who treat them well. The face may wrinkle, but the spirit can still glow with grace.

So remember, dear soul, that you are both the keeper and the artist of your own being. As Temple teaches, you may keep your beauty and your health—if you do not drive them away through neglect or misuse. Let gratitude be your daily ritual, balance your sacred discipline, and love yourself as a creation worth preserving. For the body is the house of the spirit, and when you honor it, the spirit returns the favor—with peace, strength, and radiant life that no passing year can ever steal.