--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Socrates was a great walker. They say he…" description: "\"Socrates was a great walker. They say he was a fiend for exercise. He was absolutely not shut away in some ivory tower somewhere.\" — Bettany Hughes" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/bettany-hughes-7743_exercise_socrates-was-a-great-walker-they-say-he_2759441.jpg" --- # Socrates was a great walker. They say he was a fiend for… ![“Socrates was a great walker. They say he was a fiend for exercise. He was absolutely not shut away in some ivory tower somewhere.” quote by Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/bettany-hughes-7743_exercise_socrates-was-a-great-walker-they-say-he_2759441.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/bettany-hughes-7743_exercise_socrates-was-a-great-walker-they-say-he_2759441.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a14/bettany-hughes-7743_exercise_socrates-was-a-great-walker-they-say-he_2759441.jpg) > “Socrates was a great walker. They say he was a fiend for exercise. He was absolutely not shut away in some ivory tower somewhere.” [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Socrates was active and engaged, not isolated; his love of walking reflected his commitment to public discourse and physical vitality. **In simple terms:** Socrates valued activity and public life. Key Takeaway Embrace active, engaged living. Themes philosophy activity public discourse health Mood inspirational energetic Type historical motivational When to use this quote - teaching philosophy - walking meetings - community discussions - exercise routines Key Concepts classical philosophy physical fitness social engagement Questions to Reflect On - What benefits arise from combining physical activity with intellectual work? - How does public engagement shape ideas? A Different Perspective Romanticizing his habits may oversimplify his complex philosophy. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Exercise](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/exercise/) [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Friendship](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/friendship/) [Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great/) [Great Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-walker-3159137/) [He](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/he/) [Ivory tower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ivory-tower/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socrates/) [Socrates Great](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/socrates-great-3159136/) [Somewhere](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/somewhere/) [They say](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/they-say/) [Tower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tower/) [Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walker/) ## Related quotes > [If you will take my advice you will think little of Socrates, and a great deal more of truth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/socrates/if-you-will-take-my-advice-you-will-think-little-of-socrates-and-a/) [Socrates](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/socrates/) > [So then there was the Greek, Socrates, he was great... He invented questioning. Before Socrates, no questioning. Everyone sort of went, ''Yeah, I suppose…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-izzard/so-then-there-was-the-greek-socrates-he-was-great-he-invented/) [Eddie Izzard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-izzard/) > [I'd much rather be in the world than in some ivory tower somewhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-garfield/i-d-much-rather-be-in-the-world-than-in-some-ivory-tower-somewhere/) [Andrew Garfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-garfield/) > [Determining the value of individual texts has been an ideological scuffle in literary criticism for centuries: but the environmental cost of printing them hauls…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tristram-stuart/determining-the-value-of-individual-texts-has-been-an-ideological/) [Tristram Stuart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tristram-stuart/) > [I don't see myself in an ivory tower.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-buckley/i-don-t-see-myself-in-an-ivory-tower/) [Jeff Buckley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-buckley/) > [I make friends easily. 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He clearly was -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/well-socrates-is-70-when-he-dies-he-s-been-allowed-to-philosophise/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [I think Socrates was fascinated by Alcibiades. It's almost the opposite of hypocrisy. I think it's like when you can see the potential in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/i-think-socrates-was-fascinated-by-alcibiades-it-s-almost-the/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Europe's leaders need to sit down with Socrates for a night; a life unexamined is not worth living. We have to remember that, as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/europe-s-leaders-need-to-sit-down-with-socrates-for-a-night-a-life/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [“Socrates argued that only God can be a sophist, only God can be truly wise.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/socrates-argued-that-only-god-can-be-a-sophist-only-god-can-be-truly/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [We think the way we do partly because Socrates thought the way he did. His basic idea - that the unexamined life is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/we-think-the-way-we-do-partly-because-socrates-thought-the-way-he-did/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) ## More by Bettany Hughes > [After I graduated, I carried on with my academic work, via grants but I often had a market stall on Camden Market selling hand-painted…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/after-i-graduated-i-carried-on-with-my-academic-work-via-grants-but-i/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [I think it's ironic when Plato makes the learned woman Aspasia Socrates' teacher, but I think women crop up more in the Platonic dialogues…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/i-think-it-s-ironic-when-plato-makes-the-learned-woman-aspasia/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Even the picturesque prehistoric settlements at Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini were an exercise in problem-solving; white-washed homes and town halls built…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/even-the-picturesque-prehistoric-settlements-at-akrotiri-on-the-greek/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [For the Spartans, it wasn’t walls or magnificent public buildings that made a city; it was their own ideals. In essence, Sparta was a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/for-the-spartans-it-wasn-t-walls-or-magnificent-public-buildings-that/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [Of all the human figurines discovered so far from 30,000-3,000BC, 92% are of the female form. This is not to say there was any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/of-all-the-human-figurines-discovered-so-far-from-30-000-3-000bc-92/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [I think Socrates was fascinated by Alcibiades. It's almost the opposite of hypocrisy. 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Many were literate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/ancient-egyptian-women-had-rights-under-the-law-they-could-own-land/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [The word 'America' probably didn't appear in the Persian language until the end of the 18th century - but then with a documented past…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/the-word-america-probably-didn-t-appear-in-the-persian-language-until/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [History was invented as a tool, an engineered road down which human society could advance.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/history-was-invented-as-a-tool-an-engineered-road-down-which-human/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [“Herodotus, the ‘Father of History’, records the moment – and you can hear the emotion in his voice as he does so, a mixture…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bettany-hughes/herodotus-the-father-of-history-records-the-moment-and-you-can-hear/) [Bettany Hughes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bettany-hughes/) > [I'm horrified at the idea of intimidating someone. 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The free exercise of religion is at the very heart of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-pence/the-united-states-cannot-and-should-not-discriminate-on-the-basis-of/) [Mike Pence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-pence/) > [I always wanted to make sure that within my unit that I was never the weak person. So I made sure that my physical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liz-carmouche/i-always-wanted-to-make-sure-that-within-my-unit-that-i-was-never-the/) [Liz Carmouche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liz-carmouche/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Everyday happiness means getting up in the morning, and you can't wait to finish your breakfast. You can't wait to do your exercises. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-burns/everyday-happiness-means-getting-up-in-the-morning-and-you-can-t-wait/) [George Burns](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-burns/) > [If your goal is to look different, you'll see results faster with strength training than with cardio alone.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-kaiser/if-your-goal-is-to-look-different-you-ll-see-results-faster-with/) [Anna Kaiser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-kaiser/) > [The Only cure for nihilism is for liberal democratic societies - their electorates, their judiciary, and their political leadership- to insist that force is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-ignatieff/the-only-cure-for-nihilism-is-for-liberal-democratic-societies-their/) [Michael Ignatieff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-ignatieff/) > [Exercise teaches you the pleasure of discipline.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-fonda/exercise-teaches-you-the-pleasure-of-discipline/) [Jane Fonda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-fonda/) > [The amount of things you can do with a kettlebell is unsurpassed by any other training equipment - dumbbells, resistance machines, free weights.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laird-hamilton/the-amount-of-things-you-can-do-with-a-kettlebell-is-unsurpassed-by/) [Laird Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laird-hamilton/) > [One should try to locate power at the extreme of its exercise, where it is always less legal in character.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-foucault/one-should-try-to-locate-power-at-the-extreme-of-its-exercise-where/) [Michel Foucault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-foucault/) > [What do you think of our gym <3](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/what-do-you-think-of-our-gym-3/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It is exactly in the repetition of the exercises that the education of the senses exists; not that the child shall know colors, forms…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/maria-montessori/it-is-exactly-in-the-repetition-of-the-exercises-that-the-education/) [Maria Montessori](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/maria-montessori/) > [One things guys have to remember is consistency... 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