--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The head thinks, the hands labor, but…" description: "\"The head thinks, the hands labor, but it's the heart that laughs.\" — Liz Curtis Higgs" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/liz-curtis-higgs-20979_hands_the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s_2096647.png" --- # The head thinks, the hands labor, but it's the heart that… ![“The head thinks, the hands labor, but it's the heart that laughs.” quote by Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/liz-curtis-higgs-20979_hands_the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s_2096647.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/liz-curtis-higgs-20979_hands_the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s_2096647.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/liz-curtis-higgs-20979_hands_the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s_2096647.png) > “The head thinks, the hands labor, but it's the heart that laughs.” [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The mind plans, the hands work, but joy comes from the heart. **In simple terms:** Thinking and labor are important, but joy is heart‑driven. Key Takeaway Cultivate heart‑centered joy alongside effort. Themes joy heart mind work balance Mood reflective uplifting thoughtful Type philosophical wellness When to use this quote - team building - personal development - creative projects - well‑being Key Concepts emotional intelligence purpose fulfillment Questions to Reflect On - How can you integrate heart‑based joy into daily tasks? - What role does purpose play in your work? A Different Perspective May overlook practical challenges of work. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Happiness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/happiness/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Labor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/labor/) [Laughter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/laughter/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [The heart / That laughs must ache.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georgiana-goddard-king/the-heart-that-laughs-must-ache/) Georgiana Goddard King > [We think work with the brain is more worthy than work with the hands. Nobody who thinks with his hands could ever fall for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-f-schumacher/we-think-work-with-the-brain-is-more-worthy-than-work-with-the-hands/) [E. F. Schumacher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-f-schumacher/) > [I'm proud to represent those hands that labor in this country.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-ontiveros/i-m-proud-to-represent-those-hands-that-labor-in-this-country/) [Lupe Ontiveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-ontiveros/) > [I'm proud to represent those hands that labor in this country. I've given every maid I've ever portrayed soul and heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lupe-ontiveros/i-m-proud-to-represent-those-hands-that-labor-in-this-country-i-ve/) [Lupe Ontiveros](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lupe-ontiveros/) > [There is virtue yet in the hoe and the spade, for learned as well as for unlearned hands. And labor is everywhere welcome; alwayswe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/there-is-virtue-yet-in-the-hoe-and-the-spade-for-learned-as-well-as/) [Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/) > [Trust me, the person who sings his/her heart out, laughs loud and dances like no one is watching, is the beautiful one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/badshah/trust-me-the-person-who-sings-his-her-heart-out-laughs-loud-and/) [Badshah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/badshah/) > [“I nearly swallow my tongue when Cash pops up from behind the bar. “You must be Olivia.” “Holy mother of hell!” I say, grabbing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-leighton/i-nearly-swallow-my-tongue-when-cash-pops-up-from-behind-the-bar-you/) [M. Leighton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-leighton/) > [“The best thing about this journey is I know I have it in me to keep going. Battle-tested, you know? Now, my heart laughs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ace-antonio-hall/the-best-thing-about-this-journey-is-i-know-i-have-it-in-me-to-keep/) [Ace Antonio Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ace-antonio-hall/) > [Whatever the heart loves, the head must think about; what the head thinks about the mouth must speak of; whatever the mouth speaks of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-ramkissoon/whatever-the-heart-loves-the-head-must-think-about-what-the-head/) Gregory Ramkissoon > [What the head thinks, should be examined critically in the heart and this right decision should be carried out by the hands. This should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sai-baba/what-the-head-thinks-should-be-examined-critically-in-the-heart-and/) [Sai Baba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sai-baba/) > [Some relaxation is necessary to people of every degree; the head that thinks and the hand that labors, must have some little time to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bernard-gilpin/some-relaxation-is-necessary-to-people-of-every-degree-the-head-that/) Bernard Gilpin > [A dull head thinks of no better way to show himself wise, than by suspecting everything in his way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-sidney/a-dull-head-thinks-of-no-better-way-to-show-himself-wise-than-by/) [Philip Sidney](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-sidney/) > [But I'm not ready to stop listening to the screwed-up inner voice that's been ordering me around for a lifetime. My head thinks it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mary-karr/but-i-m-not-ready-to-stop-listening-to-the-screwed-up-inner-voice/) [Mary Karr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mary-karr/) > [“His mother shakes her head. “Everyone thinks they know what’s best. Everyone.” And then a voice behind him says, “Sometimes you need to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-ness/his-mother-shakes-her-head-everyone-thinks-they-know-what-s-best/) [Patrick Ness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-ness/) > [Age, with his eyes in the back of his head, thinks it wisdom to see the bogs through which he has floundered.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/age-with-his-eyes-in-the-back-of-his-head-thinks-it-wisdom-to-see-the/) [Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/) ## More by Liz Curtis Higgs > [“A good friend of mine feels the same way about Italy and another adores a certain island in the Caribbean. For me it will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/a-good-friend-of-mine-feels-the-same-way-about-italy-and-another/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [With God, it isn’t who you were that matters; it’s who you are becoming.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/with-god-it-isn-t-who-you-were-that-matters-it-s-who-you-are-becoming/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“Marrying a woman of priestly ancestry was a special blessing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/marrying-a-woman-of-priestly-ancestry-was-a-special-blessing/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [Fun is temporary at best; it's risky, even dangerous, at worst. Joy, on the other hand, was mystery I couldn't seem to decipher.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/fun-is-temporary-at-best-it-s-risky-even-dangerous-at-worst-joy-on/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [His Name will never fall. His Name will never be defeated. His Name will never be reduced to rubble. A tower that’s stronger than…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/his-name-will-never-fall-his-name-will-never-be-defeated-his-name/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [For me, laughter is how we take a much needed break from the heartache, such that when we turn to face it again, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/for-me-laughter-is-how-we-take-a-much-needed-break-from-the-heartache/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“But pleasing to the eye isn't the same as pleasing to God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/but-pleasing-to-the-eye-isn-t-the-same-as-pleasing-to-god/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“Every conception has a touch of the miraculous - this one far more than most.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/every-conception-has-a-touch-of-the-miraculous-this-one-far-more-than/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“Even the things we don't understand are a display of the goodness of God.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/even-the-things-we-don-t-understand-are-a-display-of-the-goodness-of/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“God particularly favors older women as channels of divine grace.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/god-particularly-favors-older-women-as-channels-of-divine-grace/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [By God's design, I believe our hearts and minds are shaped by Story. It's how we learn. It's how we make sense of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/by-god-s-design-i-believe-our-hearts-and-minds-are-shaped-by-story-it/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“While we’re obsessed with here and now, God is focused on forever.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/while-we-re-obsessed-with-here-and-now-god-is-focused-on-forever/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [Hard times are purposeful, meant to refine and redirect us. They're not arbitrary or random, and they're definitely not cruel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/hard-times-are-purposeful-meant-to-refine-and-redirect-us-they-re-not/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“No one knows the weight of another's burden”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/no-one-knows-the-weight-of-another-s-burden/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) > [“God knows the hour of each person's passing. Whatever we did or didn't do for someone we loved, the timing of his or her…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/god-knows-the-hour-of-each-person-s-passing-whatever-we-did-or-didn-t/) [Liz Curtis Higgs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) [Explore all 30 Liz Curtis Higgs quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/) ## More Hands quotes > [When I passed the Chancellor he arose, waved his hand at me, and I waved back at him. I think the writers showed bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-owens/when-i-passed-the-chancellor-he-arose-waved-his-hand-at-me-and-i/) [Jesse Owens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-owens/) > [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/) [Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/) > [(knitting while on a motorcycle) "For several years she knitted in secret (my father would not approve; she was to concentrate on motorcycling and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-zimmermann/knitting-while-on-a-motorcycle-for-several-years-she-knitted-in/) [Elizabeth Zimmermann](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-zimmermann/) > [Then come to realize that you're making mountains out of molehills. Realize how petty you've become. Sure, it may feel like you can't get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jay-asher/then-come-to-realize-that-you-re-making-mountains-out-of-molehills/) [Jay Asher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jay-asher/) > [I have inside me the winds, the deserts, the oceans, the stars, and everything created in the universe. We were all made by the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paulo-coelho/i-have-inside-me-the-winds-the-deserts-the-oceans-the-stars-and/) [Paulo Coelho](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paulo-coelho/) > [To me, the beauty of a quilt or a dress lies within the stitches and the thought of the person who made them. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/natalie/to-me-the-beauty-of-a-quilt-or-a-dress-lies-within-the-stitches-and/) [Natalie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/natalie/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [If one truly has lost hope, one would not be on hand to say so.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-bentley/if-one-truly-has-lost-hope-one-would-not-be-on-hand-to-say-so/) [Eric Bentley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-bentley/) > [You practice mindfulness, on the one hand, to be calm and peaceful. On the other hand, as you practice mindfulness and live a life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-practice-mindfulness-on-the-one-hand-to-be-calm-and-peaceful-on/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [My folks tried to make a preacher of me and missed by a narrow margin… I would have made a good one if I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-a-heinlein/my-folks-tried-to-make-a-preacher-of-me-and-missed-by-a-narrow-margin/) [Robert A. 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"If you could see into my past just by touching my back, you'd have a hard time resisting the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/becca-fitzpatrick/i-nibbled-my-lower-lip-if-you-could-see-into-my-past-just-by-touching/) [Becca Fitzpatrick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/becca-fitzpatrick/) > [My happiness is in my hands not between another person hands](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hero/my-happiness-is-in-my-hands-not-between-another-person-hands/) [Hero](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hero/) Browse all 18,228 Hands quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The head thinks, the hands labor, but it's the heart that laughs.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Liz Curtis Higgs" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s-the-heart-that-laughs/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Hands" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s-the-heart-that-laughs/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/liz-curtis-higgs-20979_hands_the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s_2096647.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/liz-curtis-higgs-20979_hands_the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s_2096647.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a53/liz-curtis-higgs-20979_hands_the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s_2096647.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The head thinks, the hands labor, but it's the heart that laughs.” — Liz Curtis Higgs", "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": "Liz Curtis Higgs", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-curtis-higgs/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The head thinks, the hands labor,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s-the-heart-that-laughs/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-curtis-higgs/the-head-thinks-the-hands-labor-but-it-s-the-heart-that-laughs/#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 } } ] } ```