--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: A city that outdistances man's walking…" description: "\"A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap for man.\" — Arnold J. Toynbee" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_cities_a-city-that-outdistances-man-s-walking-p_2359701.jpg" --- # A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap… ![“A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap for man.” quote by Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_cities_a-city-that-outdistances-man-s-walking-p_2359701.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_cities_a-city-that-outdistances-man-s-walking-p_2359701.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/1ab/arnold-j-toynbee-12041_cities_a-city-that-outdistances-man-s-walking-p_2359701.jpg) > “A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap for man.” [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cities that exceed human walking capacity become oppressive traps, limiting freedom and agency. **In simple terms:** Overlarge cities can imprison people. Key Takeaway Design urban spaces that respect human scale. Themes urban planning freedom human scale society Mood critical analytical Type theoretical philosophical When to use this quote - city design - public policy - community activism Key Concepts architecture political theory Questions to Reflect On - What design features can mitigate the trap? - How does walking distance affect social equity? A Different Perspective Large cities also offer opportunities and resources. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cities](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) [City Outdistances](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city-outdistances-5772714/) [Outdistances Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/outdistances-man-5772711/) [Powers Trap](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/powers-trap-5772712/) [Trap Man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trap-man-2908446/) [Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking/) [Walking Powers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking-powers-5772713/) ## Related quotes > [Debt is a trap which man sets and baits himself, and then deliberately gets into.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-billings/debt-is-a-trap-which-man-sets-and-baits-himself-and-then-deliberately/) [Josh Billings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-billings/) > [For me, the melancholy of the late XXth Century is walking late at night by the Mont Blanc pen store and seeing these things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-gibson/for-me-the-melancholy-of-the-late-xxth-century-is-walking-late-at/) [William Gibson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-gibson/) > [Mooner was walking around laying his hands on the cars, divining karma. 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Before I discovered it, I was walking around,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/banks/music-is-almost-like-a-therapy-for-me-it-helps-keep-me-centered-and/) [Banks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/banks/) > [These days grief seems like walking on a frozen river; most of the time he feels safe enough, but there is always that danger…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-nicholls/these-days-grief-seems-like-walking-on-a-frozen-river-most-of-the/) [David Nicholls](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-nicholls/) > [If you don't plan to live the Christian life totally committed to knowing your God and to walking in obedience to Him, then don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kay-arthur/if-you-don-t-plan-to-live-the-christian-life-totally-committed-to/) [Kay Arthur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kay-arthur/) > [Eat when it is time to eat. 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Just tender feelings walking around exposed in their delicate shells...Easy to crush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-marr/mortals-are-such-fragile-things-just-tender-feelings-walking-around/) [Melissa Marr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-marr/) > [It's a really dark, emotionally wrenching world that we've created on 'The Walking Dead.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurie-holden/it-s-a-really-dark-emotionally-wrenching-world-that-we-ve-created-on/) [Laurie Holden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurie-holden/) > [Always have the fear of God in your heart, and remember that God is always with you, everywhere, whether you are walking or sitting.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennadius-of-constantinople/always-have-the-fear-of-god-in-your-heart-and-remember-that-god-is/) [Gennadius of Constantinople](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennadius-of-constantinople/) > [Alone in a world, With millions of souls Walking in circles Trapped in their dreams unhealthy, unclean walking in circles, now do not disturb…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chester-bennington/alone-in-a-world-with-millions-of-souls-walking-in-circles-trapped-in/) [Chester Bennington](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chester-bennington/) > [Our concept of a family holiday was going to a guest house in the Lake district or Wales where walking was part of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/our-concept-of-a-family-holiday-was-going-to-a-guest-house-in-the/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [“...Often that which most we fear births the resolve that spurs us on to altitudes we could not have achieved, had we continued walking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/m-t-anderson/often-that-which-most-we-fear-births-the-resolve-that-spurs-us-on-to/) [M.T. Anderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/m-t-anderson/) ## More by Arnold J. Toynbee > [Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/apathy-can-be-overcome-by-enthusiasm/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [I do not believe that civilizations have to die because civilization is not an organism. It is a product of wills.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/i-do-not-believe-that-civilizations-have-to-die-because-civilization/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Material power that is not counterbalanced by adequate spiritual power, that is, by love and wisdom, is a curse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/material-power-that-is-not-counterbalanced-by-adequate-spiritual/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [It is already becoming clear that a chapter which had a Western beginning will have to have an Indian ending if it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/it-is-already-becoming-clear-that-a-chapter-which-had-a-western/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The absolute value of love makes life worth while, and so makes Man's strange and difficult situation acceptable. Love cannot save life from death;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-absolute-value-of-love-makes-life-worth-while-and-so-makes-man-s/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Religion holds the solution to all problems of human relationship, whether they are between parents and children or nation and nation. Sooner or later,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/religion-holds-the-solution-to-all-problems-of-human-relationship/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [We human beings do have some genuine freedom of choice and therefore some effective control over our own destinies. I am not a determinist.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/we-human-beings-do-have-some-genuine-freedom-of-choice-and-therefore/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Our western science is a child of moral virtues; and it must now become the father of further moral virtues if its extraordinary material…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/our-western-science-is-a-child-of-moral-virtues-and-it-must-now/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The aim of all education is, or should be, to teach people to educate themselves.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-aim-of-all-education-is-or-should-be-to-teach-people-to-educate/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [America is a large friendly dog in a small room. Every time it wags its tail it knocks over a chair.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/america-is-a-large-friendly-dog-in-a-small-room-every-time-it-wags/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The extinction of race consciousness as between Muslims is one of the outstanding achievements of Islam, and in the contemporary world there is, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-extinction-of-race-consciousness-as-between-muslims-is-one-of-the/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [It is a paradoxical but profoundly true and important principle of life that the most likely way to reach a goal is to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/it-is-a-paradoxical-but-profoundly-true-and-important-principle-of/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [Of the twenty-two civilizations that have appeared in history, nineteen of them collapsed when they reached the moral state the United States is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/of-the-twenty-two-civilizations-that-have-appeared-in-history/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The equation of religion with belief is rather recent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-equation-of-religion-with-belief-is-rather-recent/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) > [The course of human history consists of a series of encounters between individual human beings and God in which each man and woman or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/arnold-j-toynbee/the-course-of-human-history-consists-of-a-series-of-encounters/) [Arnold J. Toynbee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) [Explore all 56 Arnold J. Toynbee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/arnold-j-toynbee/) ## More Cities quotes > [Public infrastructure around the world is facing unprecedented stress, with hurricanes, cyclones, floods and forest fires all increasing in frequency and intensity. It's easy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/public-infrastructure-around-the-world-is-facing-unprecedented-stress/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Cities are 2% of the earth's crust, but they are 50% of the world's population.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlo-ratti/cities-are-2-of-the-earth-s-crust-but-they-are-50-of-the-world-s/) [Carlo Ratti](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlo-ratti/) > [A man could be a lover and defender of the wilderness without ever in his lifetime leaving the boundaries of asphalt, powerlines, and right-angled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-abbey/a-man-could-be-a-lover-and-defender-of-the-wilderness-without-ever-in/) [Edward Abbey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-abbey/) > [All Germany was in turmoil. Revolutionaries seized power in the cities of Munich, Hanover and Cologne. One regional German government after another was toppled…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-cross-giblin/all-germany-was-in-turmoil-revolutionaries-seized-power-in-the-cities/) [James Cross Giblin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-cross-giblin/) > [Nice is a city of ghosts and specters, but I hope not to become one of them right away.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-modiano/nice-is-a-city-of-ghosts-and-specters-but-i-hope-not-to-become-one-of/) [Patrick Modiano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-modiano/) > [I know of not one Republican candidate that would not appear publicly with Mitt Romney and I know many Democrats that don't even want…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-sessions/i-know-of-not-one-republican-candidate-that-would-not-appear-publicly/) [Pete Sessions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-sessions/) > [ Just between you and me, shouldn’t the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the LDCs \[Less Developed Countries\]?... I… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-summers/just-between-you-and-me-shouldn-t-the-world-bank-be-encouraging-more/) [Lawrence Summers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-summers/) > [We will neglect our cities to our peril, for in neglecting them we neglect the nation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-f-kennedy/we-will-neglect-our-cities-to-our-peril-for-in-neglecting-them-we/) [John F. Kennedy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-f-kennedy/) > [I didn't know the city at all, but I was so happy to be in New York I cried. I was so excited.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greta-gerwig/i-didn-t-know-the-city-at-all-but-i-was-so-happy-to-be-in-new-york-i/) [Greta Gerwig](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greta-gerwig/) > [Outside of Paris, there is no hope for the cultured.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/moliere/outside-of-paris-there-is-no-hope-for-the-cultured/) [Moliere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/moliere/) > [Dawn's faint breath breathes with your mouth at the ends of empty streets. Gray light your eyes, sweet drops of dawn on dark hills.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cesare-pavese/dawn-s-faint-breath-breathes-with-your-mouth-at-the-ends-of-empty/) [Cesare Pavese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cesare-pavese/) > [Vienna is a handsome, lively city, and pleases me exceedingly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederic-chopin/vienna-is-a-handsome-lively-city-and-pleases-me-exceedingly/) [Frederic Chopin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederic-chopin/) > [“We have grace of strength to work, to clear our cities of any dirt.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lailah-gifty-akita/we-have-grace-of-strength-to-work-to-clear-our-cities-of-any-dirt/) [Lailah Gifty Akita](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lailah-gifty-akita/) > [I was too tired to think. I merely felt the town as a unique unreality. What was it? I knew -- the moon's picture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-was-too-tired-to-think-i-merely-felt-the-town-as-a-unique-unreality/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 7,153 Cities quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cities/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "A city that outdistances man's walking powers is a trap for man.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Arnold J. 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