Audrey Hepburn, Sam Levenson, and “Time-Tested Beauty Tips”

Credit: Doctor Macro | Audrey in a publicity photo for Funny Face

Some of Audrey’s most famous words, and yet not Audrey’s words at all. In a world as full of information as ours is, it’s often that things don’t accurately stand the test of time. And because of Audrey’s epic popularity many things are obscured indefinitely. Facts are strewn around with fiction, and soon one starts to wonder if they’ll ever make heads or tails of it all. The “Time Tested Beauty Tips” poem is something I’ve long wanted to figure out, but it falls under the category of those treasures impossibly altered by time.

If you’re a fan of Audrey you’ve likely read those above words before, or perhaps different variations of them. The poem they stem from was one of Audrey’s favorites, which was written by iconic American writer and television host Sam Levenson for his granddaughter. Of the many varying things I’ve read, the full poem came from a letter Levenson wrote to his granddaughter and Audrey recreated it for her family on what would be her last Christmas. (Of this I have no proof.) It’s also said that her youngest son, Sean Hepburn Ferrer, read the poem at Audrey’s funeral. The poem itself seems to float around the internet in predominantly one form, though whether this is the way it was originally written is, quite honestly, beyond me. I recently came across a video that an Audrey fan made available on Youtube which features an audio recording of Audrey herself reciting a variation of the poem in 1989 for a French television show. As if the poem itself couldn’t be lovelier, hearing it read with Audrey’s passionate wish infused in it is truly moving.

Alternatively, this is the version I see most widely cited across the internet…

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge you’ll never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; Never throw out anybody.

Remember, If you ever need a helping hand, you’ll find one at the end of your arm.

As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure that she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the caring that she lovingly gives, the passion that she shows, and the beauty of a woman with passing years only grows!

Whichever way you spin it, Sam Levenson’s message is a genuine treasure in itself. When Audrey shared it with her children she inadvertently shared it with the world, and I’m so glad she did.

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