--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The idea of solvitur ambulando (in…" description: "\"“The idea of solvitur ambulando (in walking it will be solved) has been around since St. Augustine, but well before that Aristotle thought and taught w..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/florence-williams-41479_quote_the-idea-of-solvitur-ambulando-in-walkin_809919.jpg" --- # The idea of solvitur ambulando (in walking it will be… ![“The idea of solvitur ambulando (in walking it will be solved) has been around since St. Augustine, but well before that Aristotle thought and taught while walking the open-air parapets of the Lyceum. It has long been believed that walking in restorative settings could lead not only to physical…” quote by Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/florence-williams-41479_quote_the-idea-of-solvitur-ambulando-in-walkin_809919.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/florence-williams-41479_quote_the-idea-of-solvitur-ambulando-in-walkin_809919.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2be/florence-williams-41479_quote_the-idea-of-solvitur-ambulando-in-walkin_809919.jpg) > ““The idea of solvitur ambulando (in walking it will be solved) has been around since St. Augustine, but well before that Aristotle thought and taught while walking the open-air parapets of the Lyceum. It has long been believed that walking in restorative settings could lead not only to physical vigor but to mental clarity and even bursts of genius, inspiration (with its etymology in breathing) and overall sanity. As French academic Frederic Gros writes in A Philosophy of Walking, it’s simply “the best way to go more slowly than any other method that has ever been found.” Jefferson walked to clear his mind, while Thoreau and Nietzsche, like Aristotle, walked to think. “All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking,” wrote Nietzsche in Twilight of the Idols. And Rousseau wrote in Confessions, “I can only meditate when I am walking. When I stop, I cease to think; my mind only works with my legs.” Scotland”” [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Walking stimulates physical health, mental clarity, and creative insight, as historically noted by philosophers and writers. **In simple terms:** Walking clears the mind and sparks ideas. Key Takeaway Take regular walks for mental boost. Themes health creativity philosophy Mood inspirational thoughtful Type philosophical practical When to use this quote - daily routine - creative work - stress relief - problem solving Key Concepts embodiment mind‑body connection Questions to Reflect On - Do you notice ideas emerging while walking? - How can you integrate walking into your creative process? A Different Perspective Walking alone may not guarantee breakthroughs. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aristotle Walked](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aristotle-walked-243191/) [Meditate Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/meditate-walking-243192/) [Philosophy Walking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/philosophy-walking-243189/) [Walked Think](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walked-think-243190/) [Walking Restorative](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walking-restorative-243193/) ## Related quotes > [These streets remind me on that lonly bord way I walked think were to go not knowing my destiny long way to go an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-d-cruz/these-streets-remind-me-on-that-lonly-bord-way-i-walked-think-were-to/) [Kevin D'cruz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-d-cruz/) > [Did you ever walk in a room and forget why you walked in? I think that's how dogs spend their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-murphy/did-you-ever-walk-in-a-room-and-forget-why-you-walked-in-i-think-that/) [Sue Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-murphy/) > [I can only meditate when I am walking. When I stop, I cease to think; my mind works only with my legs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/i-can-only-meditate-when-i-am-walking-when-i-stop-i-cease-to-think-my/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [For, as I think I have said, I can only meditate when I am walking. When I stop I cease to think; my mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-jacques-rousseau/for-as-i-think-i-have-said-i-can-only-meditate-when-i-am-walking-when/) [Jean-Jacques Rousseau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-jacques-rousseau/) > [I meditate at airports because those are the places where I’m extremely tense, and I often meditate while I’m walking down the street. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pankaj-mishra/i-meditate-at-airports-because-those-are-the-places-where-i-m/) [Pankaj Mishra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pankaj-mishra/) > [I think for me to do a traditional sitting meditation I would really have to spend a couple weeks working at it. The only…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brett-dennen/i-think-for-me-to-do-a-traditional-sitting-meditation-i-would-really/) [Brett Dennen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brett-dennen/) > [You can't meditate on walking or certain human habits. You concentrate too much on the way you walk, and you'll start walking pretty weird.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beck/you-can-t-meditate-on-walking-or-certain-human-habits-you-concentrate/) [Beck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beck/) > [I've been busy and need to slow my little tail down and sit and meditate somewhere. I do my walking meditations every day, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valerie-june/i-ve-been-busy-and-need-to-slow-my-little-tail-down-and-sit-and/) [Valerie June](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valerie-june/) ## More by Florence Williams > [“Human milk is like ice cream, penicillin, and the drug ecstasy all wrapped up in two pretty packages.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/human-milk-is-like-ice-cream-penicillin-and-the-drug-ecstasy-all/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“Muir wrote of time not in the wilderness: “I am degenerating into a machine for making money.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/muir-wrote-of-time-not-in-the-wilderness-i-am-degenerating-into-a/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“The Japanese hinoki cypress was a favorite for its fast growth and uncanny ability to ward off pests.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/the-japanese-hinoki-cypress-was-a-favorite-for-its-fast-growth-and/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“Primates who evolved in places seething with venomous snakes have better vision than primates who didn’t evolve in those places. But”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/primates-who-evolved-in-places-seething-with-venomous-snakes-have/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“Beginning in the early 1980s, Stephen and Rachel Kaplan at the University of Michigan noticed that psychological distress was often related to mental fatigue.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/beginning-in-the-early-1980s-stephen-and-rachel-kaplan-at-the/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“If to have breasts is to be human, then to save them is to save ourselves.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/if-to-have-breasts-is-to-be-human-then-to-save-them-is-to-save/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“Compared to buildings with low amounts of vegetation, those with medium levels experienced 42 percent fewer total crimes, and the contrast between lowest and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/compared-to-buildings-with-low-amounts-of-vegetation-those-with/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“Over recent decades we have come from dwelling in another world in which the living works of nature either predominated or were near at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/over-recent-decades-we-have-come-from-dwelling-in-another-world-in/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) > [“These people showed a marked increase in connections between parts of the frontal cortex associated with self-concept and parts of the brain associated with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/florence-williams/these-people-showed-a-marked-increase-in-connections-between-parts-of/) [Florence Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) [Explore all 10 Florence Williams quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/florence-williams/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The idea of solvitur ambulando (in walking it will be solved) has been around since St. Augustine, but well before that Aristotle thought and taught while walking the open-air parapets of the Lyceum. 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