--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Not since Ancient Greece have cities been…" description: "\"Not since Ancient Greece have cities been thought of as the ideal living environment for humans. And that was so long ago it predates the invention of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/giles-coren-11329_ancient-greece_not-since-ancient-greece-have-cities-bee_301914.jpg" --- # Not since Ancient Greece have cities been thought of as… ![“Not since Ancient Greece have cities been thought of as the ideal living environment for humans. And that was so long ago it predates the invention of trousers.” quote by Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/giles-coren-11329_ancient-greece_not-since-ancient-greece-have-cities-bee_301914.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/giles-coren-11329_ancient-greece_not-since-ancient-greece-have-cities-bee_301914.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/3e5/giles-coren-11329_ancient-greece_not-since-ancient-greece-have-cities-bee_301914.jpg) > “Not since Ancient Greece have cities been thought of as the ideal living environment for humans. And that was so long ago it predates the invention of trousers.” [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Cities have long been idealized as optimal habitats, a notion dating back to ancient philosophical ideas. **In simple terms:** Cities seen as ideal living spaces since ancient times. Key Takeaway Recognize the historical roots of urban idealism. Themes urbanism history philosophy Mood reflective critical Type philosophical historical When to use this quote - city planning - urban development - public policy - community building Key Concepts social contract environmental design Questions to Reflect On - Do ancient ideals still apply today? - What aspects of city life have changed? A Different Perspective Modern challenges may contradict ancient ideals. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancient greece](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-greece/) [City](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/city/) [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Invention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/invention/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Long ago](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-ago/) ## Related quotes > [“I'd like to share a revelation that I've had during my time here. 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Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-o-wilson/) > [“When the travesties scattered throughout our modern art museums are set alongside the glories of ancient Greece, the Christian heart should swell with pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/when-the-travesties-scattered-throughout-our-modern-art-museums-are/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [“OEDIPUS: Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/oedipus-upon-the-murderer-i-invoke-this-curse-whether-he-is-one-man/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“In ancient Greece more than one royal house was guilty of crime which became the stuff of tragedy: now Rome was to follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/in-ancient-greece-more-than-one-royal-house-was-guilty-of-crime-which/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [“In ancient Greece, adolescence was a time when young men left their biological families to become the lovers of adult men. 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Chandler > [“I tell you, because military training is not publicly recognised by the state, you must not make that an excuse for being a whit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophon-memorabilia-371bc-marchant-translation/i-tell-you-because-military-training-is-not-publicly-recognised-by/) Xenophon Memorabilia. 371BC Marchant translation > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) ## More by Giles Coren > [My dad was undeniably famous when I was a kid - he was on Wogan and Clive James and the radio every week, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/my-dad-was-undeniably-famous-when-i-was-a-kid-he-was-on-wogan-and/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [Gradually, I developed opinions about food, and my French friends taught me that you have to complain in a restaurant.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/gradually-i-developed-opinions-about-food-and-my-french-friends/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [A man of strong opinions is one thing. But a man whose strong opinions depend entirely on how he is feeling in that instant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/a-man-of-strong-opinions-is-one-thing-but-a-man-whose-strong-opinions/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [As a broadly left-wing, environmentally aware urban believer in anthropogenic global warming, I am all for a total ban on motor vehicles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/as-a-broadly-left-wing-environmentally-aware-urban-believer-in/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [In the beginning, we huddled in cities for our own protection. We built walls around them with slits through which to fire arrows at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/in-the-beginning-we-huddled-in-cities-for-our-own-protection-we-built/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [It was fine for my Polish Ashkenazi forebears to live on dumplings and potatoes, because they laboured in the fields. But that diet is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/it-was-fine-for-my-polish-ashkenazi-forebears-to-live-on-dumplings/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [I was 41 when I became a dad. I try to be as much fun as my father was, but I'm at home more…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/i-was-41-when-i-became-a-dad-i-try-to-be-as-much-fun-as-my-father-was/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [Instant gratification is bringing this planet to its knees.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/instant-gratification-is-bringing-this-planet-to-its-knees/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [People think you get paid millions by the BBC if you're famous, but me? Me, I'm in the Premier Inn in Gillingham.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/people-think-you-get-paid-millions-by-the-bbc-if-you-re-famous-but-me/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [All I care about is that people who like me think I'm funny. I get on with writing pretty straight-down the line, old-fashioned stuff.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/all-i-care-about-is-that-people-who-like-me-think-i-m-funny-i-get-on/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [Gentile smoked salmon is all... muscular and smells of smoke. It's not very fatty. They don't understand - smoked salmon should be almost spreadable!…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/gentile-smoked-salmon-is-all-muscular-and-smells-of-smoke-it-s-not/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [I tried to leave the city once, for one of those other places. And, my God, the silence. I could hear myself think, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/i-tried-to-leave-the-city-once-for-one-of-those-other-places-and-my/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [As drivers desert the city I find myself clinging more and more to my father's belief that a man without a car is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/as-drivers-desert-the-city-i-find-myself-clinging-more-and-more-to-my/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [I let the other reviewers eat the bad meals, so that I didn't have to, and my wife and I went out only for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/i-let-the-other-reviewers-eat-the-bad-meals-so-that-i-didn-t-have-to/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) > [My dad was very successful as a journalist, so I didn't want to be one. I wanted to be a novelist.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-coren/my-dad-was-very-successful-as-a-journalist-so-i-didn-t-want-to-be-one/) [Giles Coren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) [Explore all 60 Giles Coren quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-coren/) ## More Ancient greece quotes > [“In ancient Greece, the word for “cook,” “butcher,” and “priest” was the same—mageiros—and the word shares an etymological root with “magic.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-pollan/in-ancient-greece-the-word-for-cook-butcher-and-priest-was-the-same/) [Michael Pollan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-pollan/) > [“I tell you, because military training is not publicly recognised by the state, you must not make that an excuse for being a whit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/xenophon-memorabilia-371bc-marchant-translation/i-tell-you-because-military-training-is-not-publicly-recognised-by/) Xenophon Memorabilia. 371BC Marchant translation > [“When you fear nothing, you have nothing to fear”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/s-f-chandler/when-you-fear-nothing-you-have-nothing-to-fear/) S.F. Chandler > [“Some gay soldiers and officers, particularly those with a college education, carried with them a mythology, developed from reading the classics and in conversations…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allan-b-rub/some-gay-soldiers-and-officers-particularly-those-with-a-college/) Allan Bérubé > [“In ancient Greece, adolescence was a time when young men left their biological families to become the lovers of adult men. Sexuality was but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-d-adam/in-ancient-greece-adolescence-was-a-time-when-young-men-left-their/) Barry D. Adam > [“In ancient Greece more than one royal house was guilty of crime which became the stuff of tragedy: now Rome was to follow the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/livy/in-ancient-greece-more-than-one-royal-house-was-guilty-of-crime-which/) [Livy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/livy/) > [“OEDIPUS: Upon the murderer I invoke this curse- whether he is one man and all unknown, or one of many- may he wear out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sophocles/oedipus-upon-the-murderer-i-invoke-this-curse-whether-he-is-one-man/) [Sophocles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sophocles/) > [“When the travesties scattered throughout our modern art museums are set alongside the glories of ancient Greece, the Christian heart should swell with pride.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/douglas-wilson/when-the-travesties-scattered-throughout-our-modern-art-museums-are/) [Douglas Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/douglas-wilson/) > [Philosophy is best practised by people in general and not by philosophers alone. Philosophy is too often a luxury now, but in ancient Greece,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-onfray/philosophy-is-best-practised-by-people-in-general-and-not-by/) [Michel Onfray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-onfray/) > [“For a long time the human instinct to understand was thwarted by facile religious explanations, as in ancient Greece in the time of Homer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-sagan/for-a-long-time-the-human-instinct-to-understand-was-thwarted-by/) [Carl Sagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-sagan/) > [“I do not admire the excess of a virtue like courage unless I see at the same time an excess of the opposite virtue,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-pascal/i-do-not-admire-the-excess-of-a-virtue-like-courage-unless-i-see-at/) [Blaise Pascal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-pascal/) > [“OEDIPUS: O, O, O, they will all come, all come out clearly! 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There were whole groups of people that already lived there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alejandro-castro-espin/america-did-not-need-to-be-discovered-because-quite-simply-america/) [Alejandro Castro Espin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alejandro-castro-espin/) [Browse all 110 Ancient greece quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancient-greece/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Not since Ancient Greece have cities been thought of as the ideal living environment for humans. 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