The power of the mind (intellect, reason, willpower, etc.) can overcome challenges or problems in the physical world. I know you're scared, but if you're determined to learn to drive, you'll be able to do it—mind over matter. I know rock climbing looks impossible to many people, but it's really just a case of mind over matter. Farlex Dictionary of Idioms. © 2022 Farlex, Inc,
all rights reserved. Fig. [an instance where there are] intellectual powers overriding threats, difficulties, or problems. You need to concentrate harder. Pay no attention to your surroundings. This is a case of mind over matter. McGraw-Hill Dictionary of American Idioms and Phrasal Verbs. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. Willpower can overcome physical obstacles, as in Margaret was determined to go to the wedding even on crutches-mind over matter. This idea was already expressed by Virgil in the Aeneid (c. 19 b.c.) as Mens agitat molem, "Mind moves matter," and it appeared in various forms in English by 1700. The American Heritage® Dictionary of Idioms by Christine Ammer. Copyright © 2003, 1997 by The Christine Ammer 1992 Trust. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved. mind over matterYou say mind over matter to mean the ability to control problems, especially illness and pain, by using your mind. So is good health simply a case of mind over matter? Once your mind has fully accepted the suggestion that you are well, you immediately start to feel better. This is mind over matter. Collins COBUILD Idioms Dictionary, 3rd ed. © HarperCollins Publishers 2012 mind over matterthe power of the mind asserted over the physical universe; the use of willpower to overcome physical problems.Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017 ˌmind over ˈmatterthe influence of the mind on the body; the power to change things by thinking: ‘How does he manage to work when he’s so ill?’ ‘Mind over matter.’Farlex Partner Idioms Dictionary © Farlex 2017 mind over matterWillpower triumphs over material or physical considerations. The idea is very old indeed, expressed by Virgil in the Aeneid (Mens agitat molem, “mind moves matter”), and, in an entire system of philosophy, by Britain’s Bishop George Berkeley (1685–1753), who held that nothing in the world exists unless it is perceived by the human mind. In the twentieth century, however, the cliché is most often invoked for or by someone who is carrying on normal activities despite being physically ill or otherwise incapacitated. The humorist Jack Benny quipped, “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” (quoted in New York Times, Feb. 15, 1974). The Dictionary of Clichés by Christine Ammer Copyright © 2013 by Christine Ammer
"Mind over matter" is a phrase that has been used in several contexts, such as mind-centric spiritual doctrines, parapsychology, and philosophy. Merriam Webster Dictionary defines mind as "the element or complex of elements in an individual that feels, perceives, thinks, wills, and especially reasons"[1] and mind over matter as able to; "a situation in which someone is able to control a physical condition, problem, etc., by using the mind".[2] Origin[edit]The phrase "mind over matter" first appeared in 1863 in The Geological Evidence of the Antiquity of Man by Sir Charles Lyell (1797–1875) and was first used to refer to the increasing status and evolutionary growth of the minds of animals and man throughout Earth history.[3][page needed]
Another related saying, "the mind drives the mass", was coined almost two millennia earlier in 19 B.C. by the poet Virgil in his work Aeneid, book 6, line 727.[4][page needed] Parapsychology[edit]In the field of parapsychology, the phrase has been used to describe paranormal phenomena such as psychokinesis.[5][6] Mao Zedong[edit]"Mind over matter" was also Mao Zedong's idea that rural peasants could be "proletarianized" so they could lead the revolution and China could move from feudalism to socialism through New Democracy. According to some, it departs from Leninism in that the revolutionaries are peasants, instead of the urban proletariat.[7] Controlling pain[edit]The phrase also relates to the ability to control the perception of pain that one may or may not be experiencing.[8] References[edit]
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