Heart and soul
Meaning
To do something with heart and soul means to apply complete dedication, passion, and enthusiasm to an endeavor.
Origin
The phrase "heart and soul" directly echoes ancient biblical injunctions for complete devotion, most famously from Deuteronomy 6:5, which commands, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might." This powerful articulation emphasized total dedication, encompassing not just emotional sentiment (heart) but also one's entire being and life force (soul). Over centuries, this profound concept of all-encompassing commitment migrated from its purely religious context, evolving into a widely used English idiom to describe any endeavor undertaken with utmost passion and unwavering dedication.
Examples
- She poured her heart and soul into creating the perfect garden, spending countless hours meticulously planting and tending to every bloom.
- If you want to truly master a new skill, you have to commit yourself heart and soul to consistent practice and learning.