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Age Quote by Ambrose Bierce

“HEART, n. An automatic, muscular blood-pump. Figuratively, this useful organ is said to be the esat of emotions and sentiments --a very pretty fancy which, however, is nothing but a survival of a once universal belief. It is now known that the sentiments and emotions reside in the stomach, being…” quote by Ambrose Bierce
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“HEART, n. An automatic, muscular blood-pump. Figuratively, this useful organ is said to be the esat of emotions and sentiments --a very pretty fancy which, however, is nothing but a survival of a once universal belief. It is now known that the sentiments and emotions reside in the stomach, being evolved from food by chemical action of the gastric fluid. The exact process by which a beefsteak becomes a feeling --tender or not, according to the age of the animal from which it was cut; the successive stages of elaboration through which a caviar sandwich is transmuted to a quaint fancy and reappears as a pungent epigram; the marvelous functional methods of converting a hard-boiled egg into religious contrition, or a cream-puff into a sigh of sensibility --these things have been patiently ascertained by M. Pasteur, and by him expounded with convincing lucidity. (See, also, my monograph, _The Essential Identity of the Spiritual Affections and Certain Intestinal Gases Freed in Digestion_ --4t”

Ambrose Bierce

About This Quote

Source Essay: The Essential Identity of the Spiritual Affections and Certain Intestinal Gases Freed in Digestion, 1910

Emotions are metaphorically linked to the heart, but scientifically they arise from bodily processes, especially digestion, showing how language shapes perception.

In simple terms: Feelings come from the body, not just the heart.

Key Takeaway

Recognize the physical basis of emotions.

Themes

biology metaphor language perception science

Mood

analytical curious

Type

literary scientific

When to use this quote

  • emotional expression
  • health education
  • literary analysis
  • mind-body studies

Key Concepts

metaphorical organ physiological basis semantic shift

Questions to Reflect On

  • What other emotions are misattributed to organs?
  • How does language influence our bodily awareness?
A Different Perspective

Metaphors can obscure scientific truth.

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