During these weeks of confinement and sheltering in place, I had a revelation that I’m sure is shared by many. The simple joy of going for a walk. After long days of staying home, the act of going outside, stretching and getting some fresh air is liberating and uplifting. Sometimes, it's a fast-paced exercise type of walk and sometimes - a leisurely stroll.
But the magic of walking has been discovered by many talented individuals long before the pandemic has struck. All throughout history, people have used walking as a way to unwind and let the mind wander. These 12 quotes express this universal appreciation of this valuable pastime.
1. “I could walk a mile in your shoes, but I already know they're just as uncomfortable as mine. Let's walk next to each other instead...”
― Lynda Meyers
2. “I only went out for a walk and finally concluded to stay out till sundown, for going out, I found, was really going in.”
― John Muir
3. "There are no shortcuts to any place worth going."
― Beverly Sills
4. “But the beauty is in the walking - we are betrayed by destinations.”
― Gwyn Thomas
5. “When I'm in turmoil, when I can't think, when I'm exhausted and afraid and feeling very, very alone, I go for walks. It's just one of those things I do. I walk and I walk and sooner or later something comes to me, something to make me feel less like jumping off a building.”
― Jim Butcher
6. "The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk."
― Jacqueline Schiff
7. "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking."
― Friedrich Nietzsche
8. "Above all, do not lose your desire to walk. Every day I walk myself into a state of well-being and walk away from every illness. I have walked myself into my best thoughts, and I know of no thought so burdensome that one cannot walk away from it."
― Soren Kierkegaard
9. "I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me."
― Noël Coward
10. "If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish."
― Charles Dickens
11. “The only way to understand a land is to walk it. The only way to drink in its real meaning is to keep it firmly beneath one's feet … Only the walker can form the wider view.”
― Sinclair Mckay
12. "In the morning a man walks with his whole body; in the evening, only with his legs."
― Ralph Waldo Emerson
