Rumi isn't merely contrasting inner goodness with outer appearance—he's making a claim about *permanence* itself, suggesting that physical attractiveness is almost by definition temporary, while character compounds like interest. The insight cuts deeper than typical "beauty fades" platitudes because it reframes our very measurement of what's worth preserving: a kind act performed at sixty carries more weight than a flawless complexion at twenty-five. Watch how people gravitate toward someone who listens well or remembers their name, finding them increasingly handsome over months, while others physically striking grow distant as their indifference becomes visible. Rumi understood that we don't simply choose to love depth—we're built to recognize and reach toward it, the way plants find light.