essay on home is where the heart is

Home is where the heart is

What's the meaning of the phrase 'home is where the heart is'.

The proverb ‘home is where the heart is’ means that, wherever you are and whoever you are with, your home and family provide the greatest emotional bond.

What's the origin of the phrase 'Home is where the heart is'?

It isn’t completely clear where this proverbial saying originated but, if I had to guess, I’d guess the USA.

Tis home where e’er the heart is, Where e’er its loved ones dwell, In cities, or in cottages, Throng’d haunts or mossy dell, The heart’s a rover ever, And thus on wave and wild, The maiden with her lover walks, The mother with her child.

The poem, although virtually doggerel, has a good claim to be the source of the expression ‘home is where the heart is’. Other sources, including those as ancient as Pliny, have expressed a similar idea but the wording of the modern-day proverb seems to have been spawned in 1820s USA.

‘Describe me a home, Willie.’ ‘Well, I should say, a woman of Kate Bently’s appearance-‘ ‘Nay, I said not a wife, but a home.’ ‘Home is where the heart is, Katie’.

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The Meaning of Home Essay

Home is a word that means a lot in the life of every person. For some, this is a place to come after hard work to relax and feel comfortable. For others, this is a kind of intermediate point from which they can set off towards adventure. Still, others believe that the home is not some specific place but where the closest and dearest people gather. However, everyone’s life should have a home as a place to reboot, energize and comfort. This allows people to stay afloat even in the most challenging times and know that there is a safe corner in this world where they can ride out the storm.

Various authors put different emotions and thoughts into the concept of home. For example, Joan Didion (1967) has a particular view of the concept of home. She believes that home is the place where her closest and dearest people are. She loves to visit her family to feel a sense of unity and be close to loved ones. In this house, time seems to slow down, and no matter what happens in life, home is always a place where she can meet people that are ready to support and understand her. This view of a home is quite common: “home is where the heart is.”

Having close people is an integral part of everyone’s life, even from a biological perspective. People need to feel like they belong to a specific group to always be able to receive support. In addition, no matter how the family criticizes us, it still accepts us with all the shortcomings and rash actions. We are part of a family, so it will be difficult to “break away” from it. However, it is necessary to remember that this is a two-way communication and maintain it. Not only seek help from relatives in difficult times but also help them if necessary. This is what will help build a secure family-related feeling of “home.”

Some people associate home with warm memories of the past, while in the present, this concept becomes, perhaps, more blurred. For example, for Veronique Greenwood (2014), the home was strongly associated with a warm, steaming bowl of ramen. Every day at school, she skipped lunch to read more books and came home in the late afternoon. Hunger “overtook” her, and every day she saved herself by making herself a bowl of hot ramen soup. She began to associate this warmth and satiety with a feeling of calmness, security, and comfort – at home.

No matter how hard life is, some people may indeed have some tiny detail that becomes reliable support. Thus, for example, a warm soup is one of the few things that could support the girl. However, it helped her survive all the difficulties of adolescence. She knew she had a home, a place filled with warmth and comfort. Thanks to this support, she was able to find her place in life and grow up as a worthy person.

Pico Iyer (2013) reveals an exciting and unusual vision of the home in his speech. He argues that the home cannot be a specific point on the map for many people since people and their lives are constantly changing. For some, the parental house becomes home; for others – a favorite place to travel; for some – a country to which they dream of moving all their lives. People collect the concept of a home throughout their lives, and it becomes a mosaic made up of diverse parts that are unique to everyone.

As a result, the home becomes not what is at a certain point on the map but what leaves the greatest response in the soul. Each person’s experience is unique, so everyone has an unusual and unique feeling of home in their hearts. Thanks to this, we recognize the most important places, events, and people in our life. It is what becomes our “home” that forms the basis of our personalities and influences us.

For me, the concept of “home” is now most closely related to the idea of the parental home. My family lives there, and I feel our closeness; I understand that I can always get help, support, and care in this place. I know that the most comfortable atmosphere of trust and warmth is there. However, I understand that my thoughts and feelings about the concept of home can change dramatically over time. For example, if I move to another city or start my own family, I will feel this concept differently. However, I know that my family’s home will always remain dear to me; that is, it will still be an essential component of the concept of “home.” Therefore, you must always carefully listen to yourself, look for your home, and collect it bit by bit from different parts of life. This will help you feel calmer and know that in some place, someone is waiting for you with love and support.

Didion, J. (1967). On going home.

Greenwood, V. (2014). How ramen got me through adolescence . The New York Times Magazine. Web.

Iyer, P. (2013). Where is home? [Video]. TED. Web.

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The Psychology of Home: Why Where You Live Means So Much

There's a reason why the first thing we often ask someone when we meet them, right after we learn their name, is "where's home for you?"

My house is a shrine to my homes. There's a triptych of sunsets next to my bedroom door, dusk forever falling over the small Michigan town where I grew up, the beach next to my college dorm and Place de la Concorde in Paris, where I spent a cliché but nonetheless happy semester. And that's only the beginning. Typographic posters of Michigan and Chicago hang above my bed, a photo of taxis zooming around Manhattan sits atop my dresser and a postcard of my hometown's famous water tower is taped to my door. My roommate and I have an entire wall in our kitchen plastered with maps of places we've been, and twin Ferris wheels, one at Navy Pier, one at Place de la Concorde, are stacked on top of one another in my living room.

I considered each of those places my home at one time or another, whether it was for months or years. When laid out all together, the theme to my décor becomes painfully obvious, but why it was more important to me to display the places I've lived rather than pictures of friends, or favorite music or books, all of which are also meaningful, I couldn't initially say.

Susan Clayton, an environmental psychologist at the College of Wooster, says that for many people, their home is part of their self-definition, which is why we do things like decorate our houses and take care of our lawns. These large patches of vegetation serve little real purpose, but they are part of a public face people put on, displaying their home as an extension of themselves. It's hardly rare, though, in our mobile modern society, to accumulate several different homes over the course of a lifetime. So how does that affect our conception of ourselves?

For better or worse, the place where we grew up usually retains an iconic status, Clayton says. But while it's human nature to want to have a place to belong, we also want to be special, and defining yourself as someone who once lived somewhere more interesting than the suburbs of Michigan is one way to do that. "You might choose to identify as a person who used to live somewhere else, because it makes you distinctive," Clayton says. I know full well that living in Paris for three months doesn't make me a Parisian, but that doesn't mean there's not an Eiffel Tower on my shower curtain anyway.

We may use our homes to help distinguish ourselves, but the dominant Western viewpoint is that regardless of location, the individual remains unchanged. It wasn't until I stumbled across the following notion, mentioned in passing in a book about a Hindu pilgrimage by William S. Sax, that I began to question that idea: "People and the places where they reside are engaged in a continuing set of exchanges; they have determinate, mutual effects upon each other because they are part of a single, interactive system."

This is the conception of home held by many South Asians and it fascinated me so much that I set out to write this story. What I learned, in talking with Sax, is that while in the West we may feel sentimental or nostalgic attachment to the places we've lived, in the end we see them as separate from our inner selves. Most Westerners believe that "your psychology, and your consciousness and your subjectivity don't really depend on the place where you live," Sax says. "They come from inside -- from inside your brain, or inside your soul or inside your personality." But for many South Asian communities, a home isn't just where you are, it's who you are.

In the modern Western world, perceptions of home are consistently colored by factors of economy and choice. There's an expectation in our society that you'll grow up, buy a house, get a mortgage, and jump through all the financial hoops that home ownership entails, explains Patrick Devine-Wright, a professor in human geography at the University of Exeter. And it's true that part of why my home feels like mine is because I'm the one paying for it, not my parents, not a college scholarship. "That kind of economic system is predicated on marketing people to live in a different home, or a better home than the one they're in," Devine-Wright says. The endless options can leave us constantly wondering if there isn't some place with better schools, a better neighborhood, more green space, and on and on. We may leave a pretty good thing behind, hoping that the next place will be even more desirable.

In some ways, this mobility has become part of the natural course of a life. The script is a familiar one: you move out of your parents' house, maybe go to college, get a place of your own, get a bigger house when you have kids, then a smaller one when the kids move out. It's not necessarily a bad thing. Even if we did stay in one place, it's unlikely we would ever have the same deep attachment to our environment as those from some South Asian communities do. It just doesn't fit with our culture.

But in spite of everything -- in spite of the mobility, the individualism, and the economy -- on some level we do recognize the importance of place. The first thing we ask someone when we meet them, after their name, is where they are from, or the much more interestingly-phrased "where's home for you?" We ask, not just to place a pushpin for them in our mental map of acquaintances, but because we recognize that the answer tells us something important about them. My answer for "where are you from?" is usually Michigan, but "where's home for you?" is a little harder.

If home is where the heart is, then by its most literal definition, my home is wherever I am. I've always been liberal in my use of the word. If I'm going to visit my parents, I'm going home and if I'm returning to Chicago, I'm also going home. My host parents' apartment in Paris was home while I lived there, as was my college dorm and my aunt's place on the Upper West Side, where I stayed during my internship. And the truth is, the location of your heart, as well as the rest of your body, does affect who you are. The differences may seem trivial (a new subculture means new friends, more open spaces make you want to go outside more), but they can lead to lifestyle changes that are significant.

Memories, too, are cued by the physical environment. When you visit a place you used to live, these cues can cause you to revert back to the person you were when you lived there. The rest of the time, different places are kept largely separated in our minds. The more connections our brain makes to something, the more likely our everyday thoughts are to lead us there. But connections made in one place can be isolated from those made in another, so we may not think as often about things that happened for the few months we lived someplace else. Looking back, many of my homes feel more like places borrowed than places possessed, and while I sometimes sift through mental souvenirs of my time there, in the scope of a lifetime, I was only a tourist.

I can't possibly live everywhere I once labeled home, but I can frame these places on my walls. My decorations can serve as a reminder of the more adventurous person I was in New York, the more carefree person I was in Paris, and the more ambitious person I was in Michigan. I can't be connected with my home in the intense way South Asians are in Sax's book, but neither do I presume my personality to be context-free. No one is ever free from their social or physical environment. And whether or not we are always aware of it, a home is a home because it blurs the line between the self and the surroundings, and challenges the line we try to draw between who we are and where we are.

Image: romakoma/ Shutterstock .

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‘home is where the heart is’: meaning and origin

The phrase home is where the heart is and its variants mean that the place with which one has the strongest emotional connection is the place that one regards as home.

The earliest occurrence of this phrase that I have found is from an unsigned poem published in the 1829 issue of The Winter’s Wreath: A Collection of Original Contributions in Prose and Verse (London: Published by George B. Whittaker; for George Smith, Liverpool – [October 1828]):

’Tis Home where’er the Heart is. ’Tis Home where’er the heart is; Where’er its loved ones dwell, In cities or in cottages, Thronged haunts or mossy dell: The heart’s a rover ever, And thus on wave and wild, The maiden with her lover walks, The mother with her child. ’Tis bright where’er the heart is; Its fairy spells can bring Fresh fountains to the wilderness, And to the desert—spring. There are green isles in each ocean, O’er which affection glides; And a haven on each shore, When Love’s the star that guides. ’Tis free where’er the heart is; Nor chains, nor dungeon dim, May check the mind’s aspirings, The spirit’s pealing hymn! The heart gives life its beauty, Its glory and its power,— ’Tis sunlight to its rippling stream, And soft dew to its flower. X. X.

The above-quoted poem was reprinted in many British and U.S. newspapers and magazines, under various titles (such as Home is where the Heart is ), and over a long period of time. For example: – It appeared under the title ’Tis Home Where the Heart Is in Heart Throbs of the Poet , published in the Northern Weekly Gazette (Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, England) of Saturday 3 rd June 1922—one A. Seaton, of Skelton Green, claiming to have written it… – Its first stanza was quoted by one Jay J. Thomas, of the Boys Club, in Beautiful Are Dreams Of Days Gone By , published in The Sylacauga Advance (Sylacauga, Alabama, USA) of Thursday 17 th October 1963.

These are, in chronological order, the other earliest occurrences of the phrase that I have found:

1 -: From Reflections on Married Life , an unsigned communication published in the Christian Register (Boston, Massachusetts , USA) of Saturday 13 th February 1830:

Why is Clementina unhappy? Because she loves pleasure better then [sic] she does her husband, and cannot relinquish it cheerfully to gratify him. Her heart is abroad, and ‘the home is where the heart is.’

2 -: From The Replevin Act , published in The National Gazette and Literary Register ( Philadelphia , Pennsylvania, USA) of Thursday 10 th January 1833—quoting “ the Charleston Mercury of the 1 st instant ”:

There are merchants with the spirit and patriotism to avail themselves of our laws, who will import and pay no duties. If there were not, an association would soon be formed which would make it the interest of every merchant to do so. And as to the sense of honor in those who now say, that they WILL pay the duties, decreasing profits will soon modify their honorable notions. “’Tis home where the heart is”, and “where the treasure is there will the heart be also”, the purse will plead more persuasively with them, than even the most eloquent State Rights consolidationist, radical Federalist, and Anti-tariff tariffite in their party. Its voice of increasing hollowness will come home to their business and their bosoms.

3 -: From an unsigned poem published in The Essex Gazette (Haverhill, Massachusetts, USA) of Saturday 23 rd April 1836:

THE HOME OF THE HEART. O ’tis not the cottage—the dearest on earth, The sweet little cottage that first gave me birth; Through scenes unaccustomed, ’midst strangers I roam, With nought to remind me of childhoods [sic] sweet home.                     Home, sweet home,— O nought here reminds me of childhood’s sweet home. No woodbine that used o’er that cottage to creep, No willow tree , ’neath which my forefathers sleep, No green grass plot, no wild waterfall’s foam, Nought, nought here reminds me of childhood’s sweet home. O nought here reminds me of childhood’s sweet home. Yet here’s deep affection, the wanderer to bless, A mother’s fond welcome, a sister’s caress,— Far dearer than cottage or proud princely dome For home ’s where the heart is, and this is sweet

4 -: From a poem published in The Weekly Courier and Journal (Natchez, Mississippi, USA) of Friday 17 th November 1837—this poem is obviously based on the one that was originally published in the 1829 issue of The Winter’s Wreath :

’TIS HOME WHERE’ER THE HEART IS! From the new Drama Pocahontas.—By R. D. Owen. ’Tis home where’er the heart is, Where’er its living treasures dwell; In cabin or in princely hall, In forest haunt or hermit’s cell. ’Tis bright where’er the heart is; Its fairy spells have power to bring Fresh fountains to the wilderness, And to the desert vernal spring. ’Tis free where’er the heart is, Nor rankling chains, nor dungeon dim Can check the mind’s aspirings, The bounding spirits’ pealing hymn. The heart gives life its beauty, Its warmth, its radiance, and its power, Is sunlight to its rippling stream, And soft dew to its drooping flower.

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Heart & Home Decor

Home is Where the Heart Is: Exploring the Essence in an Essay

In our fast-paced and ever-changing world, the concept of home holds a special place in our hearts. It is more than just a physical dwelling; it is a sanctuary that nurtures our soul and provides a sense of belonging. Understanding the essence of home requires delving into the emotional, physical, and cultural aspects that shape our connection to this cherished place. By exploring the metaphorical role of the heart in defining what home means to us, we can deepen our appreciation for the significance of this phrase. In this essay, we will unravel the layers of meaning behind the phrase “Home is Where the Heart Is” and examine its enduring relevance in our lives.

Understanding the Concept of Home

At its core, home represents a place where we feel safe, loved, and understood. It is a haven for self-expression and personal growth. The emotional connection to home cannot be overstated. It is where we create lasting memories and share intimate moments with our loved ones. Home is where we feel most comfortable, surrounded by the familiar sights, sounds, and scents that evoke a sense of security and belonging.

The physical aspects of home play a significant role as well. It is not merely the four walls and a roof that define it. The physical environment, from the layout and design to the colors and decor, shapes our perception of home. Each room holds meaning and purpose, reflecting our unique personality and desires. The physical space we call home should be a reflection of our inner selves, a sanctuary that brings us joy and peace.

Furthermore, home is influenced by cultural perspectives. Different cultures have their own interpretations and traditions surrounding the concept of home. Whether it is the layout of a traditional house, the rituals associated with daily life, or the values and beliefs that permeate the space, culture shapes our understanding of what it means to have a home. Through exploring these diverse cultural perspectives, we gain a deeper appreciation for the universality of home.

Let’s delve deeper into the emotional connection we have with our homes. Home is not just a physical space; it is a reflection of our identity and a canvas for self-expression. The walls of our homes bear witness to our journey, adorned with photographs, artwork, and mementos that tell the story of our lives. Each piece carefully chosen, each corner thoughtfully arranged, contributing to the tapestry of memories that make our home uniquely ours.

Moreover, home is a place where we find solace and recharge our spirits. It is the sanctuary we retreat to after a long day, where we can unwind and rejuvenate. Whether it’s curling up with a good book in a cozy nook or enjoying a warm bath in a tranquil bathroom, our homes provide us with the space and comfort we need to relax and find inner peace.

When considering the physical aspects of home, it’s important to acknowledge the power of design and architecture. The layout and design of our homes can greatly impact our mood and well-being. From open floor plans that foster connection and togetherness, to cozy corners that offer privacy and introspection, the design choices we make shape the atmosphere of our homes. The colors we choose can evoke different emotions, with warm tones creating a sense of coziness and cool tones promoting tranquility.

Lastly, the cultural influences on the concept of home are vast and fascinating. In some cultures, the home is seen as a sacred space, where rituals and traditions are deeply ingrained in daily life. From the placement of furniture to the orientation of rooms, every aspect of the home is carefully considered to align with cultural beliefs and values. Exploring these cultural perspectives not only broadens our understanding of home but also highlights the rich tapestry of human experiences.

The Heart’s Role in Defining Home

When we speak of home, we often refer to it as a matter of the heart. This emotional attachment goes beyond the physical structure and encompasses our deepest desires, dreams, and aspirations. The heart is the seat of our emotions, and it plays a profound role in shaping our perception of home.

Emotional attachments to home are formed through the memories we create and the experiences we share with our loved ones. It is within the walls of our home that we forge enduring connections, finding solace and support in times of joy and sorrow. The heart becomes intricately intertwined with our physical surroundings, and the memories created within these spaces leave an indelible mark on our souls.

The heart can also be seen as a metaphor for home. Just as the heart nourishes our physical body, home nourishes our spirit. It is a place where we find solace, love, and happiness, much like the heart sustains our physical well-being. The heart represents our emotional center, and home becomes the anchor that keeps us grounded amid the turbulence of life.

Moreover, the heart’s influence on our perception of home cannot be overlooked. Our emotional state plays a significant role in how we perceive our living space. When we are content and fulfilled in our hearts, even the simplest of places can feel like a haven. On the other hand, a troubled heart can cast a shadow on the most luxurious of homes, robbing them of their warmth and comfort.

But what about the physical aspects of home that directly affect our heart? The layout and design of a home can have a profound impact on our emotional well-being. For example, an open floor plan with ample natural light can create a sense of spaciousness and freedom, allowing our hearts to feel light and unburdened. On the other hand, a cluttered and cramped living space can make our hearts feel heavy and constricted.

Furthermore, the colors we choose to decorate our home can also influence our emotional state. Warm hues like red and orange can evoke feelings of passion and energy, while cool tones like blue and green can promote a sense of calm and tranquility. By carefully selecting the colors that resonate with our hearts, we can create an environment that nurtures and uplifts our spirits.

In addition to the physical aspects, the energy of a home can also impact our hearts. Feng shui, the ancient Chinese practice of harmonizing the energy flow in a space, emphasizes the importance of creating a balanced and harmonious environment. By arranging furniture and objects in a way that promotes positive energy flow, we can create a home that feels welcoming and soothing to our hearts.

Ultimately, the heart’s role in defining home goes beyond mere sentimentality. It encompasses the emotional, physical, and energetic aspects of our living space. Our hearts long for a place that not only provides shelter but also nourishes our souls. It is within the walls of our home that we find comfort, love, and a sense of belonging. So, let us cherish and nurture our hearts, for they are the compass that guides us to our true home.

Interpreting the Phrase ‘Home is Where the Heart Is’

The phrase “Home is Where the Heart Is” has a rich historical context that dates back centuries. It emphasizes the idea that home is not solely defined by its physical attributes, but rather by the emotional and spiritual connections we forge within it. This concept transcends boundaries, cultures, and time, resonating with people across the globe.

Across cultures, interpretations of the phrase may differ slightly, but the underlying sentiment remains the same. Home is a place where we find love, acceptance, and a sense of identity. From the nomads of the desert who find home in their tribes to those who have been uprooted from their birthplace but still carry the essence of home in their hearts, the phrase captures the universal longing for a place to belong.

On a personal level, the phrase takes on various meanings. For some, it may bring to mind a childhood home filled with laughter and shared meals. For others, it may evoke feelings of wanderlust for a place yet to be discovered. Regardless of the personal interpretation, the phrase speaks to the fundamental need for connection and the yearning to find a place that truly feels like home.

Delving deeper into the historical context of the phrase, we find that its origins can be traced back to ancient civilizations. In ancient Rome, the concept of home was deeply intertwined with the idea of family and hearth. The hearth, the central fireplace in a Roman home, was considered the heart of the household. It was a place where families gathered, shared meals, and found warmth and comfort. This notion of the heart being at the center of the home is reflected in the phrase “Home is Where the Heart Is.”

As time progressed, the phrase gained popularity and found its way into literature and art. In the 19th century, it became a common theme in romantic poetry, symbolizing the longing for a place of emotional refuge amidst the chaos of the industrial revolution. Artists also depicted the sentiment through paintings, capturing the essence of home as a sanctuary for the soul.

Today, the phrase continues to hold significance in our fast-paced, modern world. In a society where individuals are constantly on the move, seeking stability and a sense of belonging, the idea that home is where the heart is resonates deeply. It reminds us to prioritize the emotional connections we form with our surroundings and the people we share them with.

Writing an Essay on the Essence of Home

If you are tasked with writing an essay exploring the essence of home, it is essential to approach the topic with care and thoughtfulness. Begin by selecting the right approach that best aligns with your perspective and the purpose of your essay. Consider whether you want to focus on the emotional, physical, or cultural aspects of home, or perhaps a combination of all three.

Incorporating personal experiences is vital in bringing your essay to life. Share memories and anecdotes that illustrate the importance of home in your own life. By infusing your writing with personal stories, you invite the reader into your world and create a connection based on shared experiences.

When writing about home, it is essential to strike a balance between emotion and fact. While it is tempting to indulge in sentimentality, grounding your essay in research and providing factual information adds depth and credibility to your writing. Blend your personal reflections with insights from scholars and experts to create a well-rounded essay that speaks to both the heart and the mind.

Furthermore, exploring the physical aspects of home can reveal intriguing insights. Consider delving into the architecture and design of houses, as they play a significant role in creating a sense of comfort and belonging. Discuss how different architectural styles, such as Victorian or modernist, can evoke distinct emotions and shape the way we perceive and experience home.

Moreover, examining the cultural aspects of home can provide a rich and diverse perspective. Explore how different cultures define and manifest the concept of home. Discuss how cultural traditions, rituals, and customs are intertwined with the idea of home, and how they contribute to a sense of identity and belonging.

Conclusion: The Universality of Home and Heart

In conclusion, the phrase “Home is Where the Heart Is” encapsulates the essence of a place that goes beyond its physical attributes. Home is a sanctuary that nurtures our soul and provides a sense of belonging. It is where we find love, acceptance, and a deep emotional connection with our surroundings. The heart, both metaphorically and emotionally, plays a crucial role in defining what home means to us. It is the emotional attachments, the metaphoric significance, and the heart’s influence on our perception that give home its enduring relevance and universal appeal.

As we navigate through life, let us always remember the essence of home and the role it plays in shaping our identities and fostering our well-being. Cherish the memories, savor the moments, and create a sanctuary that truly reflects the essence of your heart. For it is in the embrace of home that we find solace and love, and truly understand the profound truth that home is where the heart is.

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Why is home so important to us?

Home: A Very Short Introduction

Very Short Introductions (VSI) series combines a small format with authoritative analysis and big ideas for hundreds of topic areas. Written by our expert authors, these books can change the way you think about the things that interest you and are the perfect introduction to subjects you previously knew nothing about. Grow your knowledge with OUPblog and the VSI series every Friday , subscribe to Very Short Introductions articles on the OUPblog via email or RSS , and like Very Short Introductions on Facebook . This series is also available online , and you can recommend it to your local librarian .

• By Michael Allen Fox
• December 30 th 2016

“Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home.” “Home is where the heart is.” These well-known expressions indicate that home is somewhere that is both desirable and that exists in the mind’s eye as much as in a particular physical location. Across cultures and over the centuries people of varied means have made homes for themselves and for those they care about. Humans have clearly evolved to be home builders, homemakers, and home-nesters. Dwellings that are recognizable as homes have been found everywhere that archaeologists and anthropologists have looked, representing every era of history and prehistory.

Home has always been a gathering place, shelter, and sanctuary, providing escape from the busyness and intrusiveness of the world. Much thought about, treasured, and longed for as an anchor of our existence, home has been the subject of abundant written works and other cultural products. We might reasonably suppose, therefore, that home is a readily understood concept and source of universally positive feelings. On closer investigation, however, neither of these assumptions is found to be true. The concept of home is constructed differently by different languages; dwellings are built and lived in very differently by diverse groups; and many individuals have negative or mixed emotions in regard to their experiences of home life. To embrace all of the nuances of meaning, outlook, lifestyle, and feeling that attach to home is a daunting task, but it greatly enriches our perspective on the world.

For many, home is (or was) a loving, supportive environment in which to grow up and discover oneself. Most people will have more than one home in a lifetime, and if the original one was unhappy, there is always the opportunity to do better when creating a new home. This may not as easy as it sounds for those whose memory of home is of an oppressive or abusive situation from which escape is (or was) a desperate imperative. But even when it is a peaceful, loving environment, home is, for all of us, a political sphere wherein we must negotiate rights and privileges, make compromises, and seek empowerment through self-affirmation.

As an ideal that exists in the imagination, and in dreams and wish fulfilments, home carries many and varied symbolic meanings embedded in the physical design of houses and projected onto them by the belief systems within which our lives play out. The landscape, geopolitical location, the people who live with us, and material possessions with which we furnish our home space are essential aspects of the place where we dwell. Complex interactions with all of these elements give definition to home as we see it. And as we define home, we also define ourselves in relation to it.

In recent times, home has become a more problematic notion, not only because of everyday encounters with our homeless fellow citizens, but also because of the great increase in immigrants, refugees, asylum-seekers, and victims of natural disasters in many parts of the world. Given the strong meanings and emotional associations that home has for us, those who have lost their homes and the things they most valued, or who have never had a proper home in the first place, face psychological impacts and identity crises of massive proportions. Being without a home is devastating on personal, social, and many other levels. The issues raised by homelessness exist on a world scale, and will be aggravated by climate change and rising populations. In the end, they can only be dealt with through united effort driven by compassion and dedication.

On the hopeful side of things, many immigrants have been welcomed into new countries for some time, and have made successful and rewarding lives there for themselves, as well as broadening the experience and culture of their adopted homelands. Living in the space age and the age of greater environmental awareness, we are also collectively making the first steps toward appreciating the Earth we share as our ultimate home, and as the place above all that we need to respect and protect. Thinking about home takes us into our inner selves, to be sure, but it also encourages us to look at things in their totality.

Why is home so important to us, then? Because for better or worse, by presence or absence, it is a crucial point of reference—in memory, feeling, and imagination—for inventing the story of ourselves, our life-narrative, for understanding our place in time. But it is also a vital link through which we connect with others and with the world and the universe at large.

Featured image credit: Home building residence by image4you. Public Domain via Pixabay .

Michael Allen Fox is Adjunct Professor, School of Humanities, University of New England, Australia, and Professor Emeritus of Philosophy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada. His main research interests are in the areas of nineteenth-century European philosophy, existentialism, environmental philosophy, ethics and animals, and philosophy of peace. He is the author of  Home: A Very Short Introduction .

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Home Is Where the Heart Is: Do You Know the Meaning of this Idiom?

Home is where the heart is!!! What does it mean?

Home Is Where the Heart Is

Meaning of home is where the heart is.

You use this phrase to say if you are with the person or at the place you love most, it becomes your true home.

No one knows for sure the origin of the proverb ; however, it’s been attributed to the first-century Roman author, naturalist, and philosopher Pliny the Elder (one Gaius Plinius Secundus).

• Don’t worry about where you’re going to live next year.  Home is where the heart is .
• No matter where I go, it’s always so lovely to come back here. Home is where the heart is after all. 
• Home is certainly where the heart is they all agreed as the family sat down together for Christmas dinner.
• Josephine decided to travel to Chicago with her boyfriend. After all, home is where the heart is .

Common Expressions with “Home”

There’s no place like home

• Home is the most satisfying place to be

Home sweet home

• One has returned to the comfort of home after an extended absence

Keep the home fires burning

• To maintain a household in good order while one is away

You can’t go home again

• Once one leaves home, one is changed and conditions will not be the same
• To retain a concept, idea, or thought conveyed at a conference or an educational event
• To set out to live apart from one’s parents
• An unpleasant fact difficult to acknowledge or admit

Close to home

• Deeply affecting one’s feelings

Bring home the bacon

• To earn a wage, or be successful
• To make clearly appreciated or understood

A woman’s place is in the home

• A largely outdated notion that a woman’s activities should be limited to child-rearing and housekeeping

Come home to roost

• To return to cause trouble, in an analogy to chickens returning to their coop at the end of the day

Home away from home

• A place one is visiting that is as comfortable and welcoming as one’s own home
• Simple, as in something typical of traditional rural life
• Literally or figuratively aim toward

Useful Phrases with “Heart”

Young at heart

• Feeling and behaving younger

After one’s own heart

• Exactly as one likes

Take something to heart

• To be upset by something

Set one’s heart on something

• To want something

Break somebody’s heart

• To make somebody feel sad

In one’s heart

• In one’s conscience
• From memory

In good heart

• In good condition

Do one’s heart good

• To feel encouraged, happy

One’s heart sinks

• One feels disappointed

Eat one’s heart out

• To tolerate one’s feelings in silence

A heart of stone

• An unfeeling nature

From the bottom of one’s heart

A heart of gold

• A kind nature

Have one’s heart in one’s boots

• To be very gloomy and depressed

Heart and soul

• Enthusiastically

Have one’s heart in one’s mouth

• To be very frightened

One’s heart’s content

• As much as one likes

Have one’s heart in the right place

• To have true feelings

Home Is Where the Heart Is Infographic

Last Updated on June 24, 2021

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What does Home Mean to you

This essay will reflect on the concept of home and its varied meanings to different people. It will explore the emotional, cultural, and personal dimensions of what home represents, going beyond the physical structure to encompass feelings of comfort, belonging, and identity. The piece will include diverse perspectives on home, including those of people who have experienced displacement, migration, or have multiple places they consider home. At PapersOwl, you’ll also come across free essay samples that pertain to Communication.

How it works

Home is certainly not a place…It’s an inclination.” “What I love most about my house is who I share it with.” “There isn’t anything more significant than a decent, protected, secure home.” “Home is a spot you grow up needing to leave, and develop old needing to return to.” Home is the place where I was raised. Where I played, snickered, cried, and learned. It is the place where I developed. Where I became me, a solid, keen lady, certain about myself, in my future and from before.

I accept that a house is multiple dividers and a rooftop over head. Home is a climate. The inclination welcomes me when I stroll through the entryway. Individuals hang tight for me to return home. My house is my unshakable establishment, and I will take it with me when I leave. I accept that house is the place where people become themselves, not essentially actually however intellectually. It turns into a shape that structures what their identity is. Home for me is made of encounters, snapshots of my life that assisted with transforming me and to instruct me. Therefore, my house is likewise individuals and when home takes on a human structure, it is called family. I accept that family is a relative term, nothing to do with blood, characterized by connections. Regardless of where I go later on, my establishment will consistently sit solidly in this climate and with these individuals who have framed me personally and shown me how to live. I realize that I can generally get back home. All things considered, home is the place where the heart is.

Regardless of where I go later on, my establishment will consistently sit solidly in this climate and with these individuals who have framed me personally and shown me how to live. I realize that I can generally get back home. All things considered, home is the place where the heart is. By definition – A house is a structure worked for home where as a house is a residence worked for one’s family. In any case, a house is something more uncommon than that. A house is, where you feel great. A house is simply cover. A house is a spot that one loves to live in, yet a house one simply lives in. A house is worked with a family, yet a house has no aims of everyday life. “A house has a place with you, however you have a place with a home”.

At the point when you go through the paper, you discover numerous houses available to be purchased. Some of the time at city intersections, you discover signs saying that there is a house accessible for lease. A house is a spot where individuals reside. It offers cover. There might be a great many houses in the city wherein you live, however there is just one, which you call your home. The house which your family decide to live in turns into your home. The developer just built a house. At the point when you moved in, it turned into your home. Home is where your family is. It gives enthusiastic warmth and security. A house, then again, gives cover. Typically individuals purchase a home and sell a house. Individuals who are away from their home regularly gripe about being pining to go home, not housesick. What they need isn’t a rooftop over their head, yet the passionate warmth and security. These days, each city has a permanent place to stay for the matured. They are not called house for the matured on the grounds that these spots give cover as well as enthusiastic solace for the elderly folks individuals. Other typical statements in English are: There’s no spot like home, Home, sweet home, and Home is the place where the heart is. No one at any point substitutes the word house in any of these articulations.

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Home Is Where the Heart Is, but Where Is "Home"?

"home" means so much more than just a house. so how do we decide where home is.

Posted August 3, 2015 | Reviewed by Devon Frye

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A Man’s Home Is His Hassle – P.J. Laux

Soon, I will be taking a trip back to the anthracite coal region of Northeastern Pennsylvania where I grew up.

This is a place that has been vilified as the worst region of Pennsylvania to live in and the least happy place in America . Be that as it may, it is still the place I identify as "Home" even though I have not lived there for over 40 years. Planning this trip got me to thinking about the nature of “home” and how slippery the concept actually is.

Attachment to Place

It is no secret that individuals develop very strong emotional attachments to the places that they live. These affectionate bonds between people and places go by a variety of names, including “ Topophilia ,” “ Rootedness ,” and “ Attachment to Place .”

A strong attachment to the place that you live results in greater satisfaction with your home and expectations of future stability in that place. These feelings transcend attachments to other people in the area and represent a genuine affection for the physical location itself, and the passage of time strengthens our attachment to the places that we live. Because our physical surroundings play such an important role in creating a sense of meaning and organization in our lives, it is not surprising that our sense of the place we live is closely tied to our sense of who we are.

In the "Wizard of Oz," Dorothy doesn't achieve closure until she recognizes that "There is no place like home." Thus, the word “home” connotes more than just a house—but how exactly do we determine where “home” is?

The Concept of Home

In a previous blog , I explored how deceptively complicated it is to ask someone “where they are from.” In 2008, The Pew Research Center conducted a survey of 2,260 American adults. Among other things, they asked participants to identify “the place in your heart you consider to be home.” Thirty-eight percent of the respondents did not identify the place that they were currently living to be “home.” Twenty-six percent reported that “home” was where they were born or raised; only 22 percent said that it was where they lived now. Eighteen percent identified home as the place that they had lived the longest, and 15 percent felt that it was where their family had come from. Four percent said that home was where they had gone to high school.

“Home” is the place where you feel in control and properly oriented in space and time; it is a predictable and secure place. In the words of poet Robert Frost, "Home is the place that, when you have to go there, they have to take you in." In short, “home” is the primary connection between you and the rest of the world.

Home for the Holidays?

The importance of returning “home for the holidays,” usually to share at least one large meal, reflects the importance of home places in maintaining the bonds between people. Such homecoming rituals affirm and renew a person’s place in the family and often are a key factor in preserving the family’s social fabric.

To the Zuni of the American Southwest, home is a living thing. It is the setting for raising children, for communicating with God and the spirit world, and for life itself. An annual ceremony in which some homes are blessed and consecrated (called the Shalako ) is part of the year-ending winter solstice celebration.

Social relationships centered in the home are celebrated during the Shalako ceremony by providing food to all who visit the Shalako houses, including the symbolic feeding of the spirits of ancestors who are believed to visit during the Shalako to reestablish bonds with their families. The ceremony strengthens bonds to the community, to the family (including dead ancestors), and to the spirits and gods by strengthening the bonds between each of these parties and the home itself.

For all people, home is the center of the world and a place of order that contrasts with the chaos elsewhere. When asked to draw a picture of “where you live,” children and adolescents worldwide invariably center their drawings around the home, making it the anchor for everything else. This is especially true of females; girls also give more positive and emotional evaluations of their homes than do boys.

The Tiwi of Bathurst Island (off the coast of Northern Australia) even believed that their island was the only habitable place in the world and all other places were thought of as the “land of the dead.” The Tiwi believed that sailors shipwrecked on their island were dead spirits, and they were killed because they did not belong in the land of the living.

As you reflect upon where your home is, ask yourself why this particular place out of the many places that you may have lived stands out as the one that feels like home. By doing so, you may also gain a deeper understanding of how you think about your self and your connection with the world at large.

Cohn, D., & Morin, R. (2008). Who moves? Who stays put? Where’s home? [pewsocial trends.org]

Dovey, K. (1985). Home and homelessness. In I. Altman & C. Werner (Eds.), Home Environments . New York: Plenum.

Duncan, J. S. (1985). The house as symbol of social structure. In I. Altman & C. Werner (Eds.), Home Environments. New York: Plenum.

McAndrew, F. T. (1993). Environmental Psychology . Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.

McAndrew, F. T. (1998). The measurement of “rootedness” and the prediction of attachment to home-towns in college students. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 18 , 409-417.

Shumaker, S. A., & Taylor, R. B. (1983). Toward a clarification of people-place relationships: A model of attachment to place. In N. Feimer & E. S. Geller (Eds.), Environmental psychology: Directions and perspectives. New York: Praeger.

Tuan, Y. (1974). Topophilia: A study of environmental perception, attitude, and values . Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Tuan, Y. (1979). Landscapes of fear . New York: Pantheon Books.

Werner, C. M., Altman, I., & Oxley, D. (1985). Temporal aspects of homes: A transactional perspective. In I. Altman & C. Werner (Eds.), Home Environments . New York: Plenum.

Frank McAndrew, Ph.D., is the Cornelia H. Dudley Professor of Psychology at Knox College.

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Menopause made me question my sanity 

I was convinced I was losing my marbles. My husband was leaving on a business trip, and I suddenly grabbed his arm and wouldn’t let go. 

“Don’t leave!” I begged him. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I can’t stop crying and I feel so shaky all the time. I think I’m having a nervous breakdown!”

He had never seen me like this and thought I was simply “coming down with a bug.” So he called my mom for backup and left me to walk our daughter to elementary school the next morning. I deposited her at the yard for lineup, kissed her goodbye — then sat down on the school steps, struggling to will the air into my lungs. Each inhale felt shallow; every exhale, depleting — like trying to blow up a balloon with a hole in it. I felt the panic climb up my spine, choking me in a headlock. I was sweating profusely and shivering at the same time. My heart raced, pounding in my chest and ears.

“Are you OK?” a few moms stopped to ask me. I could feel the color draining from my face and my vision tunneling.

“Fine. Yes. Thanks.”

What was I supposed to say? The truth? No, I’m not OK. I’m anything but OK, and I have no idea what’s wrong? My rational brain tried to convince my spinning head: You’re just having a panic attack : Calm down! Pull it together! I dug my nails so deeply into my palms that I winced. The pain was enough to distract me. I stood up, stumbled home, crawled back on my couch and pulled a blanket over my head.

Day after day, I gritted my teeth and prayed whatever this was would stop. I dreaded waking up in the morning, bracing myself for another, horribly timed onslaught: in the supermarket; at my daughter’s ballet rehearsal; while supervising a playdate of four third graders. There was no apparent trigger, no rhyme or reason to it. I was fine one moment, spiraling the next.

Day after day, I gritted my teeth and prayed whatever this was would stop. There was no apparent trigger, no rhyme or reason to it. I was fine one moment, spiraling the next.

My general practitioner — also a cardiologist — made a lame attempt at convincing me there was no cause for alarm. “It may feel like a heart attack,” he said, “but if it was, you’d be dead by now.” My next visit was to my OB/GYN — another male — who told me the stabbing stomach pains and mood swings I was experiencing were “all in my head, just stress from being a working mom.” His prescription: “Relax! Have a glass of wine at dinner.”

A desperate call to my best friend finally sent me in the right direction. She said she had never heard my voice sound so frightened, so small. “Go talk to my therapist,” she insisted. “She will sort this out.”

And she did, with a simple act of validation: “No, I don’t think you’re losing your mind,” she told me. “And I promise you that you’re not dying. What I think you are going through is menopause — the peri stage.” She explained how it was likely that my hormone levels, especially estrogen, were fluctuating wildly and triggering a tsunami of symptoms. She sent me home with a prescription for Ativan for immediate relief and Lexapro for longer term. We booked a second session to talk later in the week. 

“I promise you that this is not the new normal,” she said. “You will not feel like this forever.”

When I called my gyno with her diagnosis, he scoffed. “Menopause? At 43? Not likely!” Six months later, my cycle became erratic and a year later my period ceased entirely. As my therapist had promised, everything calmed down. I felt like me again.

How could medical professionals have been so clueless to miss what was going on? According to  The New York Times , it wasn’t until the '80s that doctors began to understand that perimenopause  was not “a slow draining of estrogen levels until you hit the end of your period” but rather “more of a turbulent process.” When I was in the thick of it, I didn’t know where to turn — the medical system failed me.

Fast forward 12 years: Many of my friends are dealing with an assortment of strange symptoms, both mental and physical. Though we know so much more, there is still lot of uncharted territory when it comes to peri and post transitions. A 55-year-old friend recently asked me if her sudden onset of bursitis might be a result of dwindling estrogen, and I turned her on to an Instagram account that reports on the musculoskeletal syndrome of menopause.

“Wow,” she texted me back. “This is exactly what I’m experiencing and I haven’t had a period in five years! Who knew you can go on for years feeling lousy?” 

I did. I am now the one who must talk my friends off the ledge: Everything you feel is real and valid. And no, you’re not nuts — it’s not all hot flashes and night sweats. There’s also hair thinning, voice changes, joint aches, weight gain, palpitations, anxiety, depression and high blood pressure — to name a few. The symptoms and severity seem as individual as a fingerprint, and even vary between races, research shows .

Since I went through menopause, a lot has changed. Celebrities like Oprah , Michelle Obama and Drew Barrymore are speaking about their own journeys. There are a multitude of books, podcasts, social media accounts and nutritional supplements to ease the way. Women are meditating, cupping, and taking phytoestrogens, black cohosh and red clover for relief.

I wish I had known back then what I do now. I would have felt seen and heard and unashamed. More than a million women in the U.S. experience menopause each year, according to the National Institutes of Health — yet until recently, few spoke of it. It’s a natural biological occurrence, yet remains taboo. We need to further this discussion, fund new research and educate doctors to not dismiss our concerns and questions. The fact that we still don’t understand how the different stages of menopause impact a women’s health should give us all “pause” for concern — and frankly, spur us on to find the answers.

Sheryl Berk is a New York Times Bestselling Author and celebrity ghostwriter, as well as the former founding editor-in-chief of Life & Style Weekly. Her No. 1 bestseller, "Soul Surfer," was made into a major motion picture. She is currently writing the book and lyrics for a musical about family and aging.

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What My Home Means to Me

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