Extract From The Bridges of Madi

He took a small drink of tea and watched her. She was about five feet six, fortyish or a little older, pretty face, and a fine, warm body. But there were pretty women everywhere he traveled. Such physical matters were nice, yet, to him, intelligence and passion born of living, the ability to move and be moved by subtleties of the mind and spirit, were what really counted. That's why he found most young women unattractive, regardless of their exterior beauty. They had not lived long enough or hard enough to possess those qualities that interested him.

他喝了一小口茶，望着她。她大概五英尺六英寸高，四十岁左右或者稍微再大一点儿，漂亮的脸，一个好看的充满活力的身材。不过他走过很多地方，漂亮的女人到处都是。这样的外貌固然迷人，但是对他来说，来自生活的理解力和激情，能感动人也能受到感动的微妙聪慧的心智，才是他真正重视的。这就是为什么他发现大多数年轻女人没有吸引力，跟她们外表的美丽没有关系。她们还没有活得足够长或者精力没有足够艰辛，以至于不会拥有那种能足以吸引他的气质。