in one's heart of hearts

1. According to one's truest, innermost feelings, especially when secret. For example, It's a wonderful job offer, but in my heart of hearts I don't want to leave this area. [Late 1500s]

Example Sentences

The sensitivity of Hunter’s writing, his ability to explore what festers between the lines of casual conversation, and in one’s heart of hearts, is never in doubt.

From Seattle Times

Rhetoric is only the amplification of something long understood in one's heart of hearts.

From Project Gutenberg