to speak from the heart
11
3.7
- idiom
- Informal
- Rather than delivering a scripted speech, he said he just wanted to speak from the heart and touch on subjects that the average citizen wonders about.
- just spoke from the heart
- really spoke from the heart
- want to speak from the heart
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Watch on YouTubeAnd there's something incredibly powerful about speaking from the heart.
- And there's something incredibly powerful about speaking from the heart.
- And you were always so funny because you just spoke from the heart.
- OK, now I'm going to just speak from the heart, from the spirit right now, and I hope it all makes sense.
- Can I tell you, speaking from the heart, hands down is always the winning situation.
- Then if someone that you're speaking from the heart, he's changed, he's kind of shut it down.
- Maybe it was just, you know, speaking from the heart and and he didn't know it was it would be irritating.
Examples
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I tend to speak from the heart, and not from the head.
Fiction book (1993) -
The thing to do is to go out there and speak from the heart.
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Darling, trust me... I speak from the heart when I say...
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Keep it simple and speak from the heart.
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Let me speak from the heart for a moment.
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But I think it's more important to speak from the heart.
Blog text (18) -
When you speak from the heart, you never go wrong, in my humble opinion.
Blog text (18) -
I'm going to speak from the heart.
Blog text (23) -
Pray pardon the intrusion, sir, but may I say how heart-warming it is to hear a man speak from the heart on a subject so close to our hearts.
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When giving her farewell speech, she decided to speak from the heart about her feelings for the team.
Synonyms
296
3.4
To say your opinion or feelings openly even when it is difficult
204
2.9
Begin to talk honestly about your thoughts and feelings
180
3.1
Give your opinion clearly and firmly even when it is difficult
137
3.2
To say something aloud, especially an opinion or feeling
62
3.4
Show or say your emotions to other people
39
6.2
Tell someone the truth about something difficult
32
4.3
To put thoughts or feelings into words
29
3.9
To tell someone your feelings and thoughts freely
18
3.4
Show your feelings with words, actions, or your face
13
3.4
Talk honestly without hiding facts or feelings
2
6.5
To express strong feelings such as anger or sadness
1
3.5
Say what you think openly
1
8.1
To tell someone your private feelings or secrets openly
Talk openly about your deepest feelings when you feel upset
Antonyms
How Sincere
- Informal
- Informal
11
3.7
∞
2.7
168
5.1
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase's meaning is directly derivable from its parts: 'speak' (use words), 'from' (indicating source), and 'heart' (metaphorical center of emotions). The metaphor of the heart as the source of feeling is cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents would readily infer it means to speak sincerely or emotionally.
Etymology
The idiom speak from the heart comes from the simple image of the heart as the place of deep feelings, so when someone speaks from the heart we imagine their words coming straight from inside them. That's why it means 'to say something honest and emotional'.