--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: And it came to me while I [Merlin] was…" description: "\"“And it came to me while I [Merlin] was singing - watching the ring of faces around the night's fire, their eyes glinting like dark sparks, gazing rapt..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/stephen-r-lawhead-3949_language-of-the-hear_and-it-came-to-me-while-i-merlin-was-sin_2574939.png" --- # And it came to me while I \[Merlin\] was singing - watching… ![“And it came to me while I [Merlin] was singing - watching the ring of faces around the night's fire, their eyes glinting like dark sparks, gazing raptly as the song kindled and took light in their souls - it came to me that the way to men's souls was through their hearts, not through their minds…” quote by Stephen R. Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/stephen-r-lawhead-3949_language-of-the-hear_and-it-came-to-me-while-i-merlin-was-sin_2574939.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/stephen-r-lawhead-3949_language-of-the-hear_and-it-came-to-me-while-i-merlin-was-sin_2574939.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a2d/stephen-r-lawhead-3949_language-of-the-hear_and-it-came-to-me-while-i-merlin-was-sin_2574939.png) > ““And it came to me while I \[Merlin\] was singing - watching the ring of faces around the night's fire, their eyes glinting like dark sparks, gazing raptly as the song kindled and took light in their souls - it came to me that the way to men's souls was through their hearts, not through their minds. As much as a man might be convinced in his mind, as long as his heart remained unchanged all persuasion would fail. The surest way to the heart is through song and story: a single tale of high and noble deeds spoke to men more forcefully than all of blessed Dafyd's homilies. I do not know why this should be, but I believe it to be true. I have seen the humble folk crowd into the chapel in the wood to receive the mass. In all sincerity they kneel before the holy altar, mute, reverent, as they should be, but also uncomprehending. Yet, I have seen the eyes of their souls awaken when Dafyd reads out, "Listen, in a far country there lived a king who had two sons..." Perhaps it is how we are made; perhaps words of truth reach us best through the heart, and stories and songs are the language of the heart.”” [Stephen R. Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. True influence works through emotion, not logic; stories and songs reach the heart where reason cannot. **In simple terms:** Emotion beats logic for deep change. Key Takeaway Use narrative to move people. Themes emotion storytelling influence spirituality Mood reflective inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - preaching - political speeches - marketing campaigns - educational workshops Key Concepts mythic archetype emotional resonance cultural transmission Questions to Reflect On - How can you embed truth in a story? - What song could shift a stubborn mind? A Different Perspective Logic alone often fails to change behavior. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Dafyd Homilies](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dafyd-homilies-1725165/) [Eyes Souls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/eyes-souls-1725167/) [Language of the heart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-of-the-heart/) [Men Souls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men-souls/) [Merlin Singing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/merlin-singing-1725168/) [Souls Came](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/souls-came-1725166/) ## Related quotes > [These dear souls came not to Sabbath school because it was popular to do so, nor did I teach them because it was reputable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-douglass/these-dear-souls-came-not-to-sabbath-school-because-it-was-popular-to/) [Frederick Douglass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-douglass/) > [“I'd never lived on a planet where such atrocities could happen, even before the souls came. 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Lawhead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/) [Explore all 109 Stephen R. Lawhead quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-r-lawhead/) ## More Language of the heart quotes > [“Anger is the fire of the soul, love is the language of the heart ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-richards/anger-is-the-fire-of-the-soul-love-is-the-language-of-the-heart/) [Stephen Richards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-richards/) > [Music is the language of the heart, and conservatives always screw it up.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-beck/music-is-the-language-of-the-heart-and-conservatives-always-screw-it/) [Glenn Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glenn-beck/) > [“Can we reconcile indefinitely these two imperatives: the desire to preserve every individual's special identity and the need for Europeans to be able to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amin-maalouf/can-we-reconcile-indefinitely-these-two-imperatives-the-desire-to/) [Amin Maalouf](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amin-maalouf/) > [“To really change the world, we have to help people change the way they see things. Global betterment is a mental process, not one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/to-really-change-the-world-we-have-to-help-people-change-the-way-they/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [For prayer is the language of the heart.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/grace-aguilar/for-prayer-is-the-language-of-the-heart/) [Grace Aguilar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/grace-aguilar/) > [“No matter where we come from, there is one language we can all speak and understand from birth, the language of the heart, love.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/imania-margria/no-matter-where-we-come-from-there-is-one-language-we-can-all-speak/) [Imania Margria](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/imania-margria/) > [Sarah Buckley is precious, because she is bilingual. She can speak the language of a mother who gave birth to her four children at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-odent/sarah-buckley-is-precious-because-she-is-bilingual-she-can-speak-the/) [Michel Odent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-odent/) > [He would always speak the language of the heart with an awkward foreign accent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/orson-scott-card/he-would-always-speak-the-language-of-the-heart-with-an-awkward/) [Orson Scott Card](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/orson-scott-card/) > [“The language of the heart Is the only language That everybody can understand.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-chinmoy/the-language-of-the-heart-is-the-only-language-that-everybody-can/) [Sri Chinmoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-chinmoy/) > [Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. 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It's the language of the heart, while it has never been transcribed, has no alphabet, and can't be heard…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-martin/love-has-its-own-communication-it-s-the-language-of-the-heart-while/) [Charles Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-martin/) [Browse all 42 Language of the heart quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/language-of-the-heart/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“And it came to me while I [Merlin] was singing - watching the ring of faces around the night's fire, their eyes glinting like dark sparks, gazing raptly as the song kindled and took light in their souls - it came to me that the way to men's souls was through their hearts, not through their minds. As much as a man might be convinced in his mind, as long as his heart remained unchanged all persuasion would fail. The surest way to the heart is through song and story: a single tale of high and noble deeds spoke to men more forcefully than all of blessed Dafyd's homilies. I do not know why this should be, but I believe it to be true. I have seen the humble folk crowd into the chapel in the wood to receive the mass. In all sincerity they kneel before the holy altar, mute, reverent, as they should be, but also uncomprehending. Yet, I have seen the eyes of their souls awaken when Dafyd reads out, \"Listen, in a far country there lived a king who had two sons...\" Perhaps it is how we are made; perhaps words of truth reach us best through the heart, and stories and songs are the language of the heart.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stephen R. 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