--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It is obvious that the best qualities in…" description: "\"It is obvious that the best qualities in man must atrophy in a standing-room-only environment.\" — Stewart Udall" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/stewart-udall-12055_atrophy_it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in_2653606.png" --- # It is obvious that the best qualities in man must atrophy… ![“It is obvious that the best qualities in man must atrophy in a standing-room-only environment.” quote by Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/stewart-udall-12055_atrophy_it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in_2653606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/stewart-udall-12055_atrophy_it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in_2653606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/stewart-udall-12055_atrophy_it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in_2653606.png) > “It is obvious that the best qualities in man must atrophy in a standing-room-only environment.” [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. In cramped societies, humanity’s best traits deteriorate. **In simple terms:** Crowded life erodes good qualities. Key Takeaway Promote space for human flourishing. Themes environment humanity urbanization Mood concerned analytical Type environmental philosophical When to use this quote - city planning - community design - mental health Key Concepts sociology psychology urban planning Questions to Reflect On - How does environment affect character? - What spaces foster virtue? A Different Perspective Overcrowding alone isn’t the only cause of moral decay. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Environment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/environment/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Quality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quality/) ## Related quotes > [If it keeps up, man will atrophy all his limbs but the push-button finger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-lloyd-wright/if-it-keeps-up-man-will-atrophy-all-his-limbs-but-the-push-button/) [Frank Lloyd Wright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-lloyd-wright/) > [“Danger, like a third man, was standing in the room.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-fleming/danger-like-a-third-man-was-standing-in-the-room/) [Ian Fleming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-fleming/) > [Always hold your sales meetings in rooms too small for the audience, even if it means holding them in the WC. 'Standing room only'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-ogilvy/always-hold-your-sales-meetings-in-rooms-too-small-for-the-audience/) [David Ogilvy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-ogilvy/) > [The man and the woman are not really two separate entities, but the personality of the man needs the supporting qualities of the woman.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/the-man-and-the-woman-are-not-really-two-separate-entities-but-the/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [It is only the superficial qualities that last. Man's deeper nature is soon found out.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oscar-wilde/it-is-only-the-superficial-qualities-that-last-man-s-deeper-nature-is/) [Oscar Wilde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oscar-wilde/) > [True love does not paralyze, but doubles the high qualities of man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/georg-ebers/true-love-does-not-paralyze-but-doubles-the-high-qualities-of-man/) [Georg Ebers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/georg-ebers/) > [The qualities that get a man into power are not those that lead him, once established, to use power wisely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyman-bryson/the-qualities-that-get-a-man-into-power-are-not-those-that-lead-him/) Lyman Bryson > [What is natural in me, is natural in many other men, I infer, and so I am not afraid to write that I never…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-dickens/what-is-natural-in-me-is-natural-in-many-other-men-i-infer-and-so-i/) [Charles Dickens](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-dickens/) > [“One of the most widespread superstitions is that every man has his own special, definite qualities; that a man is kind, cruel, wise, stupid,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/one-of-the-most-widespread-superstitions-is-that-every-man-has-his/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Whatever be the qualities of the man with whom a woman is united according to the law, such qualities even she assumes, like a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/guru-nanak/whatever-be-the-qualities-of-the-man-with-whom-a-woman-is-united/) [Guru Nanak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/guru-nanak/) > [The qualities which a man seeks in his beloved are those characteristics of his own soul, whether he knows it or not.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/the-qualities-which-a-man-seeks-in-his-beloved-are-those/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [It is the duty of a great person so to demean himself, as that whatever endowments he may have, he may appear to value…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-steele/it-is-the-duty-of-a-great-person-so-to-demean-himself-as-that/) [Richard Steele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-steele/) > [All the qualities of a man acquire dignity when he knows that the service of the collectivity that owns him needs them. If proud…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-james/all-the-qualities-of-a-man-acquire-dignity-when-he-knows-that-the/) [William James](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-james/) > [He was too good to be Where ill men were, and was the best of all Amongst the rar'st of good ones- sitting sadly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/he-was-too-good-to-be-where-ill-men-were-and-was-the-best-of-all/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“What qualities are there for which a man gets so speedy a return of applause, as those of bodily superiority, activity, and valour? Time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-makepeace-thackeray/what-qualities-are-there-for-which-a-man-gets-so-speedy-a-return-of/) [William Makepeace Thackeray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-makepeace-thackeray/) ## More by Stewart Udall > [I like the story about Henry David Thoreau, who, when he was on his death bed, his family sent for a minister. The minister…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/i-like-the-story-about-henry-david-thoreau-who-when-he-was-on-his/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [The most common trait of all primitive peoples is a reverence for the life-giving earth, and the Native American shared this elemental ethic: The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/the-most-common-trait-of-all-primitive-peoples-is-a-reverence-for-the/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [The atomic weapons race and the secrecy surrounding it crushed American democracy. It induced us to conduct government according to lies. It distorted justice.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/the-atomic-weapons-race-and-the-secrecy-surrounding-it-crushed/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [Nature will take precedence over the needs of the modern man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/nature-will-take-precedence-over-the-needs-of-the-modern-man/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [In a region with a growing population, if you're doing nothing, you're losing ground.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/in-a-region-with-a-growing-population-if-you-re-doing-nothing-you-re/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [A limit on the automobile population of the United States would be the best of news for our cities. The end of automania would…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/a-limit-on-the-automobile-population-of-the-united-states-would-be/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [We have, I fear, confused power with greatness.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/we-have-i-fear-confused-power-with-greatness/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [Lady Bird Johnson did more than plant flowers in public places. She served the country superbly by planting environmental values in the minds of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/lady-bird-johnson-did-more-than-plant-flowers-in-public-places-she/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [I don't remember a big fight between the Republicans and Democrats in the Nixon administration or President Gerald Ford and so on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/i-don-t-remember-a-big-fight-between-the-republicans-and-democrats-in/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [The most common trait of all primitive peoples is a reverence for the life-giving earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/the-most-common-trait-of-all-primitive-peoples-is-a-reverence-for-the-2/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [Plans to protect air and water, wilderness and wildlife are in fact plans to protect man.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/plans-to-protect-air-and-water-wilderness-and-wildlife-are-in-fact/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [Cherish sunsets, wild creatures, and wild places. Have a love affair with the wonder and beauty of the earth!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/cherish-sunsets-wild-creatures-and-wild-places-have-a-love-affair/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [It induced us to conduct government according to lies. It distorted justice. It undermined American morality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/it-induced-us-to-conduct-government-according-to-lies-it-distorted/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [America today stands poised on a pinnacle of wealth and power, yet we live in a land of vanishing beauty, of increasing ugliness, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/america-today-stands-poised-on-a-pinnacle-of-wealth-and-power-yet-we/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) > [Over the long haul of life on this planet, it is the ecologists, and not the bookkeepers of business, who are the ultimate accountants.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/over-the-long-haul-of-life-on-this-planet-it-is-the-ecologists-and/) [Stewart Udall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) [Explore all 56 Stewart Udall quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/) ## More Atrophy quotes > [I prefer atrophy over exercise any day.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-duffy/i-prefer-atrophy-over-exercise-any-day/) [Karen Duffy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-duffy/) > [The author's conviction on this day of New Year is that music begins to atrophy when it departs too far from the dance; that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ezra-pound/the-author-s-conviction-on-this-day-of-new-year-is-that-music-begins/) [Ezra Pound](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ezra-pound/) > [Somewhere between the ages of eleven and fifteen, the average child begins to suffer from an atrophy, the paralysis of curiosity and the suspension…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-a-edison/somewhere-between-the-ages-of-eleven-and-fifteen-the-average-child/) [Thomas A. Edison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-a-edison/) > [The modern world’s tech-giddy control and facilitation makes us stupid. Awareness atrophies. Dumb gets dumber. Lists are everywhere – the five things you need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-cohen/the-modern-world-s-tech-giddy-control-and-facilitation-makes-us/) [Roger Cohen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-cohen/) > [ The disinterest \[of my two great-aunts\] in anything that had to do with high society was such that their sense of hearing ... put… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/the-disinterest-of-my-two-great-aunts-in-anything-that-had-to-do-with/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [A road that perhaps more than any other leads to self atrophy is undedicated money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/e-stanley-jones/a-road-that-perhaps-more-than-any-other-leads-to-self-atrophy-is/) [E. Stanley Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/e-stanley-jones/) > [There is always this interesting relationship we have with technology. When we invented writing Socrates used to say it was going to rot our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jason-silva/there-is-always-this-interesting-relationship-we-have-with-technology/) [Jason Silva](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jason-silva/) > [I don't believe anything I write or say. I regard belief as a form of brain damage, the death of intelligence, the fracture of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-anton-wilson/i-don-t-believe-anything-i-write-or-say-i-regard-belief-as-a-form-of/) [Robert Anton Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-anton-wilson/) > [The psychological tools I've gained from bodybuilding will never atrophy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-platz/the-psychological-tools-i-ve-gained-from-bodybuilding-will-never/) [Tom Platz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-platz/) > [Skepticism, as I said, is not intellectual only; it is moral also; a chronic atrophy and disease of the whole soul. A man lives…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-carlyle/skepticism-as-i-said-is-not-intellectual-only-it-is-moral-also-a/) [Thomas Carlyle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-carlyle/) > [There can be no question, however, that prolonged commitment to mathematical exercises in economics can be damaging. It leads to the atrophy of judgement…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-kenneth-galbraith/there-can-be-no-question-however-that-prolonged-commitment-to/) [John Kenneth Galbraith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-kenneth-galbraith/) > [“If you can do everything in your job without struggling, not only will you get stuck in your slot but you’ll never flex your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-wong/if-you-can-do-everything-in-your-job-without-struggling-not-only-will/) [Brian Wong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-wong/) > [Life is a series of diminishments. Each cessation of an activity either from choice or some variety of infirmity is a death, a putting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/coleman-dowell/life-is-a-series-of-diminishments-each-cessation-of-an-activity/) [Coleman Dowell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/coleman-dowell/) > [Life yields only to the conqueror.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dag-hammarskj-ld/life-yields-only-to-the-conqueror/) [Dag Hammarskjold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dag-hammarskj-ld/) > [There's a lot of different kinds of success. I'm so dedicated to the making of the art that the rest of my life atrophies,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-shaw/there-s-a-lot-of-different-kinds-of-success-i-m-so-dedicated-to-the/) [Jim Shaw](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-shaw/) Browse all 75 Atrophy quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "It is obvious that the best qualities in man must atrophy in a standing-room-only environment.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Stewart Udall" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in-man-must-atrophy-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Atrophy" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in-man-must-atrophy-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/stewart-udall-12055_atrophy_it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in_2653606.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/stewart-udall-12055_atrophy_it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in_2653606.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8e2/stewart-udall-12055_atrophy_it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in_2653606.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“It is obvious that the best qualities in man must atrophy in a standing-room-only environment.” — Stewart Udall", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Stewart Udall", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stewart-udall/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "It is obvious that the best...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in-man-must-atrophy-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stewart-udall/it-is-obvious-that-the-best-qualities-in-man-must-atrophy-in-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```