---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The head governs, the heart assists, the…"
description: "\"The head governs, the heart assists, the body acts.\" — Robert Genn"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/robert-genn-2179_body_the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-b_2273098.png"
---

#  The head governs, the heart assists, the body acts.

![“The head governs, the heart assists, the body acts.” quote by Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/robert-genn-2179_body_the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-b_2273098.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/robert-genn-2179_body_the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-b_2273098.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/robert-genn-2179_body_the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-b_2273098.png)

> “The head governs, the heart assists, the body acts.”

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

## 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 directs, emotions support, and actions execute.

**In simple terms:** Thought leads, feeling helps, body does.

Key Takeaway

Align mind, heart, and actions for effectiveness.

Themes

leadership psychology productivity

Mood

motivational balanced

Type

leadership self‑help

When to use this quote

- team management
- personal development
- goal setting

Key Concepts

cognitive hierarchy emotional intelligence behavioral execution

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you better synchronize thinking, feeling, and doing?
- What blocks alignment between mind and action?

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Assists Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/assists-body-5275868/) [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Body Acts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body-acts-1685130/) [Governs Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/governs-heart-5275866/) [Head Governs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/head-governs-5275867/) [Heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart/) [Heart Assists](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heart-assists-5275869/) [Human heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/human-heart/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) [Work](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/work/)

## Related quotes

> [When a body acts upon another one, it is always immediately or through some intermediate body; this intermediate body is in general what one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lazare-carnot/when-a-body-acts-upon-another-one-it-is-always-immediately-or-through/)

[Lazare Carnot](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lazare-carnot/)

> [What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/what-the-mind-dwells-upon-the-body-acts-upon/)

[Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/)

> [Our limitations and success will be based, most often, on your own expectations for ourselves. What the mind dwells upon, the body acts upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denis-waitley/our-limitations-and-success-will-be-based-most-often-on-your-own/)

[Denis Waitley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denis-waitley/)

> [If the mind's not strong, the body acts weak, even if it's not. If the mind says it's too cold or too rainy or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wendelin-van-draanen/if-the-mind-s-not-strong-the-body-acts-weak-even-if-it-s-not-if-the/)

[Wendelin Van Draanen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wendelin-van-draanen/)

> [Engaging the body in acts of being present with God, including certain ceremonial practices, opens us up to God in new ways. People of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doug-pagitt/engaging-the-body-in-acts-of-being-present-with-god-including-certain/)

[Doug Pagitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doug-pagitt/)

> [A heart to resolve, a head to contrive, and a hand to execute.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-gibbon/a-heart-to-resolve-a-head-to-contrive-and-a-hand-to-execute/)

[Edward Gibbon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-gibbon/)

> [“I could say the world is ending tomorrow, and no one would care. I could say the world will go forever, and no one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anthony-liccione/i-could-say-the-world-is-ending-tomorrow-and-no-one-would-care-i/)

[Anthony Liccione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anthony-liccione/)

> [The human heart is not yet so corroded that it can read off the extinction of these two men without a shock to the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/katherine-anne-porter/the-human-heart-is-not-yet-so-corroded-that-it-can-read-off-the/)

[Katherine Anne Porter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/katherine-anne-porter/)

> [“Despite the fact that, the idea of religion has been filled by the human society with all sorts of garbage, and thus been made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/despite-the-fact-that-the-idea-of-religion-has-been-filled-by-the/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [I am persuaded that there is no affection of the human heart more exquisitely pure, than that which is felt by a grateful son…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-more/i-am-persuaded-that-there-is-no-affection-of-the-human-heart-more/)

[Hannah More](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-more/)

> [“The heart’s blind. It’s the head that causes all the trouble. Sometimes both are stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/k-bromberg/the-heart-s-blind-it-s-the-head-that-causes-all-the-trouble-sometimes/)

[K. Bromberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/k-bromberg/)

> [At the centre of the human heart is the longing for an absolute good, a longing which is always there and is never appeased…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-weil/at-the-centre-of-the-human-heart-is-the-longing-for-an-absolute-good/)

[Simone Weil](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-weil/)

> [“human heart only sweetens when broken.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abhijit-naskar/human-heart-only-sweetens-when-broken/)

[Abhijit Naskar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abhijit-naskar/)

> [“God delights in beauty, Islam teaches at its core, and is beauty. Beauty is in creation, not destruction, and in balance. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/god-delights-in-beauty-islam-teaches-at-its-core-and-is-beauty-beauty/)

[Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/)

> [“Yes, the issue was courage. It always had been, even as a kid. Things scared him. He couldn't help it. Noise scared him, dark…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-o-brien/yes-the-issue-was-courage-it-always-had-been-even-as-a-kid-things/)

[Tim O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-o-brien/)

## More by Robert Genn

> [We artists give daily thanks for the miracle of our planet and for the inclination and the capability to honour it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/we-artists-give-daily-thanks-for-the-miracle-of-our-planet-and-for/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Most of my contemporary grant-getters are now doing something other than painting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/most-of-my-contemporary-grant-getters-are-now-doing-something-other/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Pushing yourself to extremes blows out the cobwebs of trusted habit. It shakes up what you know to be reliably safe and substitutes the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/pushing-yourself-to-extremes-blows-out-the-cobwebs-of-trusted-habit/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Keep busy while you are waiting for something to happen.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/keep-busy-while-you-are-waiting-for-something-to-happen/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Art is a course in personal development that has no reliable diploma and no known end. The pursuit of art instructs in beauty as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-course-in-personal-development-that-has-no-reliable-diploma/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Great paintings have gradations, large and small... They serve to lift the subject off the two-dimensionality of the canvas. Gradations are an essential abstract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/great-paintings-have-gradations-large-and-small-they-serve-to-lift/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Take your brush here and there like a bee in an alpine meadow. In other words, don't laboriously work on or try to finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/take-your-brush-here-and-there-like-a-bee-in-an-alpine-meadow-in/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Evolved creators are just as curious about their failures as they are of their successes.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/evolved-creators-are-just-as-curious-about-their-failures-as-they-are/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Art is a path on which we honour our world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/art-is-a-path-on-which-we-honour-our-world/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [With repetition, the alternate approaches become clear, options open.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/with-repetition-the-alternate-approaches-become-clear-options-open/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [When shucked and released from its edges, the windowless subject stands alone as its own thing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-shucked-and-released-from-its-edges-the-windowless-subject/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Mountains in all their moods are symbols of something greater, something worth aspiring to. Mountains are powerful, dangerous, beautiful, noble and mysterious. Mountains get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/mountains-in-all-their-moods-are-symbols-of-something-greater/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [Our bodies, apart from their brilliant role as drawing exercises, are the temples of our being. Like the bodies of all fauna, they deserve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/our-bodies-apart-from-their-brilliant-role-as-drawing-exercises-are/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [When I'm in the studio I often hunger for the road. And when away I long for the efficiency of the studio.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/when-i-m-in-the-studio-i-often-hunger-for-the-road-and-when-away-i/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

> [In life and art it's better to be an enthusiastic amateur than a jaded professional.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/in-life-and-art-it-s-better-to-be-an-enthusiastic-amateur-than-a/)

[Robert Genn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

[Explore all 181 Robert Genn quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/)

## More Body quotes

> [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/)

[Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/)

> [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/)

[Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/)

> [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/)

[Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/)

> [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/)

[Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/)

> [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/)

[Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/)

> [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/)

[Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/)

> [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/)

[Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/)

> [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/)

[Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [Racism is a cancer. You cannot ignore it and it'll go away. If you ignore cancer, it simply metastasizes and consumes the whole body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daryl-davis/racism-is-a-cancer-you-cannot-ignore-it-and-it-ll-go-away-if-you/)

[Daryl Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daryl-davis/)

> [America, you're sending girls a mixed message. On one hand, you're saying to have positive body image and love who we are; on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adora-svitak/america-you-re-sending-girls-a-mixed-message-on-one-hand-you-re/)

[Adora Svitak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adora-svitak/)

> [I read a couple of books about neuroscience and the relationship between the mind and the body.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joel-kinnaman/i-read-a-couple-of-books-about-neuroscience-and-the-relationship/)

[Joel Kinnaman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joel-kinnaman/)

> [If japa is maintained, no useless talk during work will be possible. The mind will always remain peaceful. Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/)

[Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/)

> [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/)

[Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/)

> [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/)

[Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/)

[Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "The head governs, the heart assists, the body acts.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Robert Genn"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-body-acts/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Body"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-body-acts/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/robert-genn-2179_body_the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-b_2273098.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/robert-genn-2179_body_the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-b_2273098.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fb3/robert-genn-2179_body_the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-b_2273098.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“The head governs, the heart assists, the body acts.” — Robert Genn",
                "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": "Robert Genn",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-genn/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "The head governs, the heart assists,...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-body-acts/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-genn/the-head-governs-the-heart-assists-the-body-acts/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
