take it to heart
take it to heart (idiom, metaphor)
/teɪk ɪt tə hɑrt/
Meanings
- To be deeply hurt or upset by something someone says or does.
- To take criticism or remarks very personally.
- To accept advice, warnings, or instructions seriously and act on them.
Synonyms: take personally; be hurt; be offended; internalize; heed; accept seriously.
Example Sentences
- When Emily joked about Ryan’s presentation, he took it to heart and felt embarrassed for the rest of the meeting.
- The manager’s feedback was meant to help, but Jason took it to heart and thought he was failing at his job.
- After his father warned him about saving money, Michael took it to heart and started budgeting carefully.
Etymology and Origin
The idiom “take it to heart” draws from longstanding metaphorical associations of the heart as the core of human emotion, intellect, and moral discernment. In ancient linguistic traditions, particularly those influencing early English, the heart symbolized not merely physical vitality but the seat of deep-seated feelings and thoughtful consideration.
This conceptualization posits that to “take” something internally implies a profound internalization, where external words or events penetrate beyond surface reaction to foster genuine emotional or ethical response.
Such imagery underscores a belief in the heart’s role as a repository for wisdom, where superficial dismissal yields to meaningful absorption, reflecting broader cultural views on vulnerability and introspection.
Evolution Through Linguistic Predecessors
Prior to its modern form, expressions akin to “take it to heart” manifested in variants like “lay to heart,” which emerged in medieval English texts as early as the Old English period. These precursors conveyed the act of imprinting admonitions or truths upon one’s innermost self, often in contexts of moral instruction or personal reflection.
Over centuries, this phrasing shifted from prescriptive commands in religious and didactic writings to a more idiomatic usage, adapting to everyday discourse while retaining its essence of sincere regard. The transition highlights a gradual refinement in English vernacular, where archaic formulations gave way to concise, resonant structures that better captured interpersonal dynamics of empathy and self-examination.
Emergence in English-Speaking Contexts
The idiom first crystallized in England during the late Elizabethan era, amid a flourishing of dramatic and literary expression that popularized nuanced emotional language.
This period’s cultural milieu, rich with explorations of grief, duty, and human frailty, provided fertile ground for the phrase’s adoption. Rooted in the nation’s evolving lexicon, influenced by scriptural translations and rhetorical traditions, it appeared as a natural extension of communal values emphasizing resilience through heartfelt engagement rather than stoic detachment. England’s literary renaissance thus marked the idiom’s debut, embedding it within a tapestry of works that mirrored societal preoccupations with inner turmoil and relational depth.
Initial Documentation in Print
The earliest documented instance of “take it to heart” occurs in William Shakespeare’s tragedy Hamlet, published in its First Quarto edition on July 26, 1603. In Act 1, Scene 2, the character Claudius addresses Hamlet’s mourning with the lines:
“Why should we in our peevish opposition / Take it to heart?”
Here, the phrase critiques excessive sorrow over inevitable loss, framing death as a universal occurrence unworthy of undue emotional burden. This usage, penned around 1600–1601 for initial performance, exemplifies the idiom’s deployment in dramatic dialogue to probe themes of rationality versus sentiment, establishing its idiomatic status in printed English literature from the outset.
Variants
- take something to heart
- take to heart
- take it personally
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