--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait…" description: "\"But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.\" — Emily Dickinson" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/emily-dickinson-310_book_but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait_1676842.jpg" --- # But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse. ![“But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.” quote by Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/emily-dickinson-310_book_but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait_1676842.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/emily-dickinson-310_book_but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait_1676842.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/emily-dickinson-310_book_but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait_1676842.jpg) > “But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.” [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A book mirrors the heart's emotions; each page pulses with feeling. **In simple terms:** Books reflect feelings. Key Takeaway Read with feeling. Themes literature emotion artistry Mood poetic introspective Type literary emotional When to use this quote - reading for comfort - writing therapy - educational curricula - personal reflection Key Concepts metaphor inner life creative expression Questions to Reflect On - How does a favorite book echo your emotions? - What does each page feel like to you? A Different Perspective Interpretations may vary widely. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Book](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Writer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/writer/) ## Related quotes > [The object we call a book is not the real book, but its potential, like a musical score or seed. It exists fully only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-object-we-call-a-book-is-not-the-real-book-but-its-potential-like/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [My Book and Heart Shall never part.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/my-book-and-heart-shall-never-part/) [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-wadsworth-longfellow/) > [“Lhe love of a book is what's in your heart”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carmela-dutra/lhe-love-of-a-book-is-what-s-in-your-heart/) [Carmela Dutra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carmela-dutra/) > [Every leaf of the tree becomes a page of the book, once the heart is opened and it has learnt to read.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/every-leaf-of-the-tree-becomes-a-page-of-the-book-once-the-heart-is/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My life may be a rusted old book but my heart is not](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-knight/my-life-may-be-a-rusted-old-book-but-my-heart-is-not/) [Kevin Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-knight/) > [“And I remember this man who never ran out of poems telling me once that 'knowing a book by heart is like carrying a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hisham-matar/and-i-remember-this-man-who-never-ran-out-of-poems-telling-me-once/) [Hisham Matar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hisham-matar/) > [A book is a heart that only beats in the chest of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/a-book-is-a-heart-that-only-beats-in-the-chest-of-another/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [My Book and Heart Must never part](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jan-morris/my-book-and-heart-must-never-part/) [Jan Morris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jan-morris/) > [The dearer a book was to my heart, the more battered and bruised it became.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/azar-nafisi/the-dearer-a-book-was-to-my-heart-the-more-battered-and-bruised-it/) [Azar Nafisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/azar-nafisi/) > [The object we call a book is not the real book, but its seed or potential, like a music score. It exists fully only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rebecca-solnit/the-object-we-call-a-book-is-not-the-real-book-but-its-seed-or/) [Rebecca Solnit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rebecca-solnit/) > [“Beg for Love. Consider this burning, and those who burn, as gifts from the Friend. Nothing to learn. Too much has already been said.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaikh-abu-saeed-abil-kheir/beg-for-love-consider-this-burning-and-those-who-burn-as-gifts-from/) Shaikh Abu-Saeed Abil-Kheir > [“A book is from your heart and mind, it is your love put to words.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-anthony/a-book-is-from-your-heart-and-mind-it-is-your-love-put-to-words/) [Michael Anthony](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-anthony/) > [He whose book of the heart has been opened needs no other books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/swami-vivekananda/he-whose-book-of-the-heart-has-been-opened-needs-no-other-books/) [Swami Vivekananda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/swami-vivekananda/) > [The book that I shall make people read is the book of the heart, which holds the key to the mystery of life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meher-baba/the-book-that-i-shall-make-people-read-is-the-book-of-the-heart-which/) [Meher Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meher-baba/) > [“I page through the book, my heart thumping in my chest as I’m brought back to him, to Mayson Holt, the boy who stole…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-brown/i-page-through-the-book-my-heart-thumping-in-my-chest-as-i-m-brought/) [Melissa Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-brown/) ## More by Emily Dickinson > [A Light exists in Spring Not present on the Year At any other period - When March is scarcely here A Color stands abroad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/a-light-exists-in-spring-not-present-on-the-year-at-any-other-period/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I could not prove the Years had feet-/Yet confident they run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-could-not-prove-the-years-had-feet-yet-confident-they-run/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [How softly summer shuts, without the creaking of a door.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/how-softly-summer-shuts-without-the-creaking-of-a-door/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Could you tell me how to grow--or is it unconveyed--like Melody--or Witchcraft?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/could-you-tell-me-how-to-grow-or-is-it-unconveyed-like-melody-or/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [It might be lonelier Without the Loneliness - I’m so accustomed to my Fate - Perhaps the Other - Peace - Would interrupt the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/it-might-be-lonelier-without-the-loneliness-i-m-so-accustomed-to-my/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Inebriate of Air — am I — And Debauchee of Dew — Reeling — thro endless summer days — From Inns of Molten Blue —”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/inebriate-of-air-am-i-and-debauchee-of-dew-reeling-thro-endless/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Luck is not chance, it's toil; fortune's expensive smile is earned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/luck-is-not-chance-it-s-toil-fortune-s-expensive-smile-is-earned/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [The abdication of Belief Makes the Behavior small- Better an ignis fatuus Than no illume at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/the-abdication-of-belief-makes-the-behavior-small-better-an-ignis/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Longing is like a seed that wrestles in the ground](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/longing-is-like-a-seed-that-wrestles-in-the-ground/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“He ate and drank the precious words, His spirit grew robust; He knew no more that he was poor, Nor that his frame was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/he-ate-and-drank-the-precious-words-his-spirit-grew-robust-he-knew-no/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [I SEE thee better in the dark, I do not need a light. The love of thee a prism be Excelling violet. I see…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/i-see-thee-better-in-the-dark-i-do-not-need-a-light-the-love-of-thee/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [One step at a time is all it takes to get you there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/one-step-at-a-time-is-all-it-takes-to-get-you-there/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [“Whose fingers string the stalactite- Who counts the Wampum of the night”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/whose-fingers-string-the-stalactite-who-counts-the-wampum-of-the-night/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [My life closed twice before its close](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/my-life-closed-twice-before-its-close/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) > [Until you have loved, you cannot become yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/until-you-have-loved-you-cannot-become-yourself/) [Emily Dickinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) [Explore all 692 Emily Dickinson quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/) ## More Book quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [I don't think I have made as much of my life as I should have. I should have written more books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/i-don-t-think-i-have-made-as-much-of-my-life-as-i-should-have-i/) [Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arthur-m-schlesinger-jr/) > [Some books are not read in the right way because they have skipped a stage of opinion, assume a crystallization of information in society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doris-lessing/some-books-are-not-read-in-the-right-way-because-they-have-skipped-a/) [Doris Lessing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doris-lessing/) > [“People talk about books that write themselves, and it's a lie. Books don't write themselves. It takes thought and research and a backache and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-gaiman/people-talk-about-books-that-write-themselves-and-it-s-a-lie-books/) [Neil Gaiman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-gaiman/) > [There are great books in this world and great worlds in books.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-bronte/there-are-great-books-in-this-world-and-great-worlds-in-books/) [Anne Bronte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-bronte/) > [The purpose of this book is to supply, in the form suitable for laymen, guidance in the adoption and execution of an investment policy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-graham/the-purpose-of-this-book-is-to-supply-in-the-form-suitable-for-laymen/) [Benjamin Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-graham/) > [But I think that of all the literature that I studied, the book that did more than any other to fire my enthusiasm was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kwame-nkrumah/but-i-think-that-of-all-the-literature-that-i-studied-the-book-that/) [Kwame Nkrumah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kwame-nkrumah/) > [It's amazing to see things that are suggested in the book fully developed and so brilliantly realized through the artistry of the designers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-collins/it-s-amazing-to-see-things-that-are-suggested-in-the-book-fully/) [Suzanne Collins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-collins/) > [“But I’ve developed a great reputation for wisdom by ordering more books than I ever had time to read, and reading more books, by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marilynne-robinson/but-i-ve-developed-a-great-reputation-for-wisdom-by-ordering-more/) [Marilynne Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marilynne-robinson/) [Browse all 29,378 Book quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/book/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Emily Dickinson" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait-every-page-a-pulse/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Book" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait-every-page-a-pulse/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/emily-dickinson-310_book_but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait_1676842.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/emily-dickinson-310_book_but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait_1676842.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d50/emily-dickinson-310_book_but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait_1676842.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“But a Book is only the Heart's Portrait- every Page a Pulse.” — Emily Dickinson", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Emily Dickinson", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emily-dickinson/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "But a Book is only the...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait-every-page-a-pulse/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emily-dickinson/but-a-book-is-only-the-heart-s-portrait-every-page-a-pulse/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```