Eyes are the window to the soul

This well-known saying or proverb articulates the concept of looking into a person’s eyes in order to discern their true character or intentions. It is first cited from about the mid-1500s, but the exact origin remains obscure because so many sources have articulated something very similar but not these exact words. Sources such as Cicero, the Bible, Shakespeare, and many others have all been cited as the origin. It would appear that all these sources have articulated various forms of the concept, but not in so many words. The source that comes closest to the actual words is the French poet Guillaume de Salluste Du Bartas (1544-1590) who described the eyes as “these lovely lamps, these windows of the soul.” His poetry, translated into English, was very popular during the 16th century. It remains highly probable, however, he was not the creator of the original concept, which, in the form of ‘the eyes are the window to the soul’ was certainly well known by the mid-1500s.