handsome is as handsome does

Idioms  

1. How one acts is more important than how one looks. For example, He may be homely, but he's the kindest man I've ever met—handsome is as handsome does. This expression already appeared in John Ray's 1670 collection of proverbs.

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Example Sentences

‘But handsome is as handsome does, as we say in the Shire; and I daresay we shall all look much the same after lying for days in hedges and ditches.’

From "The Fellowship of the Ring" by J.R.R. Tolkien

Oh, handsome is as handsome does, so they say.

From Nancy of Paradise Cottage by Watkins, Shirley

Mrs. MacCall said that "handsome is as handsome does."

From The Corner House Girls Growing Up What Happened First, What Came Next. And How It Ended by Hill, Grace Brooks

Handsome enough, your Honor," he said, "unless handsome is as handsome does.

From To Have and to Hold by Johnston, Mary

It is pleasing to add that to this beautiful breed the phrase "handsome is as handsome does" applies in full measure.

From Dogs and All about Them by Leighton, Robert