hearts and minds

hearts and minds

The intellectual and emotional mindset of the members of some group, translated into trust, support, etc. The movie is critically acclaimed, but it remains to be seen whether it will capture the hearts and minds of the moviegoing public. You can't win them over with statistics. You have to win their hearts and minds.
See also: and, heart, mind
Farlex Dictionary of Idioms.

hearts and minds

COMMON People use hearts and minds to talk about the way people feel about things, both emotionally and logically. We need to win the hearts and minds of these people. No previous prime minister has so captured the hearts and minds of the British people.
See also: and, heart, mind
Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed.

hearts and minds

used in reference to emotional and intellectual support or commitment.
1999 New Yorker In the battle between Darwinians and creationists for the hearts and minds of the uncommitted, it matters whether evolution by natural selection is spiritually suggestive.
See also: and, heart, mind
Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary
See also:
  • the hearts and minds of (the members of some group)
  • (Someone or something) called, they want their (something) back!
  • a bad apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) bunch
  • a rotten apple spoils the (whole) bushel
  • bushel
  • one rotten apple spoils the (whole) barrel
  • one rotten apple spoils the (whole) bunch
  • rotten apple spoils the barrel
References in periodicals archive
In last summer's "Transformers: Dark of the Moon," one of the new characters in the trilogy is Brains, an Autobot that shapeshifts into a Lenovo ThinkPad Edge Plus laptop--putting China's biggest brand at the heart of the battle with the Decepticons and into the hearts and minds of millions of potential consumers worldwide.
China tech giant brings brand to H'wood