What matters is what’s on the inside

“What matters is what’s on the inside” is a recurring expression in the letters between Chris Davis and Kayla Morrison, where it serves as both a declaration of romantic values and a reassurance that appearance will not determine their connection. Its variations let each writer affirm the bond before they meet, while Chris’s later description of himself makes the principle personal.

Wording and First Use

In his letter, Chris says he has not described his looks because “what matters is the heart and what’s on the inside.” The expression is not an abstract maxim alone: it explains his choice to withhold information about his appearance while he and Kayla are getting to know one another through letters. He closes by hoping they may work out so that Kayla can call him hers, joining the inward-looking ideal to a direct hope for intimacy.

Kayla’s Reply

Kayla echoes the idea in her response, telling Chris, “I don't care about your looks. What matters is the connection we have.” Her wording shifts the emphasis from the heart and inner self to the relationship itself. She presents their correspondence as evidence of a bond already forming, and makes appearance secondary to that connection.

Chris’s Disclosure and the Expression’s Role

Later, Chris again writes that “What matters is what’s on the inside,” this time while offering Kayla a concrete account of his appearance: he is five feet five, has brown hair and brown eyes, is clean-shaven, and walks with a limp after a car accident at sixteen left him with a back injury. The recurrence gives the expression a changed context. Earlier it accompanied his decision not to discuss his looks; now he shares those details while holding to the same principle. Across the letters, the phrase and its variations establish a mutual ideal of love grounded in connection rather than appearance, without removing the personal vulnerability involved in revealing what had first been left unsaid.