Thoughts of Famous Walking Quotes in English

Walking quotes in English often encapsulate both the simplicity and profoundness of this everyday activity, reminding us of its significance in our lives. These reflections delve into the meditative quality inherent in the act of walking, illustrating how this simple movement can serve as a powerful tool for mental clarity, emotional well-being, and a deep connection with the natural world. For example, notable thinkers such as Friedrich Nietzsche have articulated the idea that the act of walking can serve as a catalyst for inspiration, positing that the rhythmic nature of movement stimulates the mind and may lead to the emergence of new and creative ideas. His observations suggest that as we traverse our physical surroundings, we simultaneously embark on an intellectual journey that can unlock pathways of thought previously obscured by the static nature of sedentary life.

Here’s a list of famous quotes about walking, along with their meanings and examples. These quotes explore the simplicity, peace, and benefits of walking, both physically and metaphorically.


1. "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." – Lao Tzu

Meaning: Any long or challenging endeavor begins with a simple, small action. Lao Tzu emphasizes the importance of starting, no matter how daunting a goal may seem.

Example: Someone wants to change careers, a daunting task that requires new skills and experiences. Taking that first small step, like enrolling in a course, can set the journey in motion.


2. "Walking is man’s best medicine." – Hippocrates

Meaning: Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician, believed that walking is one of the best forms of exercise and health care. Walking promotes physical and mental well-being.

Example: A person with a stressful job incorporates a daily walk into their routine, finding it improves their mood and health over time.


3. "I have walked this earth for thirty years, and, out of gratitude, want to leave some souvenir." – Vincent van Gogh

Meaning: Van Gogh implies that life’s journey should have meaning, and we should leave a legacy of some kind behind. Walking through life mindfully can inspire us to contribute to the world.

Example: An artist dedicates themselves to their craft, hoping to leave behind creations that others can appreciate for years to come.


4. "All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking." – Friedrich Nietzsche

Meaning: Nietzsche suggests that walking clears the mind, helping to stimulate creativity and deep thinking. Walking allows thoughts to flow freely and inspires ideas.

Example: A writer facing a creative block takes a walk and finds new inspiration for their work.


5. "It is solved by walking." – St. Augustine

Meaning: St. Augustine implies that walking has the power to clear one’s mind and help find solutions to problems. Movement can lead to new perspectives and insights.

Example: Someone struggling with a complex work problem takes a walk to clear their mind, and during the walk, they come up with a solution.


6. "Walking brings me back to myself." – Laurette Mortimer

Meaning: Walking has a grounding effect; it allows people to reconnect with their true selves and feelings. Walking helps release stress and brings a sense of inner calm.

Example: After a long, busy day, a person goes for a walk to unwind, feeling more relaxed and in touch with themselves by the end.


7. "In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks." – John Muir

Meaning: Muir suggests that nature walks offer unexpected gifts, like peace, inspiration, and a sense of connection to the world. Being in nature has a restorative effect.

Example: A hiker goes on a trail hoping to enjoy the view but also feels a deeper sense of tranquility and gratitude for nature.


8. "If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish." – Charles Dickens

Meaning: Dickens expresses how essential walking is for him. Walking is not only physical exercise but a release for built-up energy, emotions, and thoughts.

Example: Someone feeling overwhelmed takes a long, brisk walk, finding that it helps them release stress and gain clarity.


9. "A walk in nature walks the soul back home." – Mary Davis

Meaning: Walking in nature has a healing effect, helping individuals feel more in touch with their inner selves. It brings calmness, clarity, and grounding.

Example: After a challenging week, a person visits a forest, finding that the sounds and sights of nature make them feel peaceful and rejuvenated.


10. "If you are in a bad mood, go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk." – Hippocrates

Meaning: Walking can be a remedy for negative emotions. Physical movement and fresh air can help lift one’s spirits and provide a mental reset.

Example: After a difficult conversation, someone takes a walk around the block, feeling calmer afterward.


11. "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

Meaning: Muir highlights how going outside to walk is also a way to go inward, reflecting on oneself. Walking can provide insight and self-discovery.

Example: A person begins a walk simply to get outside, but they end up reflecting on their goals and desires, feeling more connected to their purpose.


12. "The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk." – Jacqueline Schiff

Meaning: Walking can calm emotions, especially anger. Taking time to cool down physically often leads to emotional clarity and control.

Example: After an argument, someone takes a long walk, allowing their frustration to dissipate and finding themselves calmer by the time they return.


13. "I have two doctors, my left leg and my right." – G.M. Trevelyan

Meaning: Trevelyan humorously suggests that walking is his form of medicine. Moving regularly keeps him physically and mentally fit, almost like having personal doctors.

Example: A person makes it a habit to walk each day, considering it their primary exercise and way to stay healthy.


14. "To walk is to lack a place. It is the indefinite process of being absent and in search of a proper." – Michel de Certeau

Meaning: Certeau describes walking as a journey where we are “between” places, in search of something. Walking can represent an ongoing search or exploration.

Example: A person who feels at a crossroads in life goes for long walks to clear their mind and explore their options, using walking as a way to search for direction.


15. "Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time." – Steven Wright

Meaning: This humorous quote suggests that with patience and dedication, any goal or destination is achievable, no matter how far it seems.

Example: A person facing a seemingly impossible goal decides to work on it a little each day, realizing that even big achievements are reachable with time and effort.


16. "Walking . . . is how the body measures itself against the earth." – Rebecca Solnit

Meaning: Solnit reflects on walking as a way to connect with the physical world. Walking brings awareness of one’s place in the natural environment.

Example: A person on a hiking trail feels a strong sense of connection to the earth, experiencing the terrain’s ups and downs with each step.


17. "Thoughts come clearly while one walks." – Thomas Mann

Meaning: Walking can help bring clarity to thoughts, as the rhythmic motion and change of scenery often lead to clear thinking.

Example: A student who feels overwhelmed by a project takes a walk to clear their mind, coming back with a fresh perspective and ideas.


18. "When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body." – Ralph Waldo Emerson

Meaning: Emerson implies that the experience of walking and wearing out one’s shoes builds physical and mental strength over time.

Example: A person who frequently hikes builds endurance, gaining strength with each mile, symbolized by the wear and tear on their shoes.


19. "Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet." – Thich Nhat Hanh

Meaning: Thich Nhat Hanh encourages mindfulness while walking, suggesting that one should walk with appreciation and gentleness, fully aware of each step.

Example: A person practicing mindfulness walks slowly, feeling each step and appreciating the ground beneath them, cultivating a sense of peace and gratitude.


20. "It is not talking but walking that will bring us to heaven." – Matthew Henry

Meaning: Actions speak louder than words, and actively living one’s values leads to growth and fulfillment. Henry emphasizes the importance of doing, rather than just talking.

Example: Instead of merely discussing their goals, a person takes steps toward achieving them, believing that small actions are more impactful than promises.


These quotes about walking highlight how something as simple as walking can be profoundly meaningful. Walking offers mental clarity, emotional relief, physical health, and a way to connect with the world, often bringing insight, peace, and strength along the way.

Similarly, the writings of Henry David Thoreau underscore the profound importance of exploring one's surroundings through walking. Thoreau’s philosophy presents walking not merely as a form of exercise or transportation but as an essential avenue for self-discovery and introspection. He encourages individuals to engage deeply with the environment, asserting that such explorations can illuminate personal truths and foster a greater understanding of one’s place in the world. This notion reinforces that walking transcends the physical journey; it is also about embracing the experiences and insights that come with each step taken outdoors.

These impactful quotes serve as poignant reminders of the joy and clarity that can arise from the simple act of putting one foot in front of the other. They invite us to appreciate the sensory experiences—sight, sound, and scent—that accompany a stroll through nature, encouraging us to pause and reflect. Ultimately, the wisdom encapsulated in these quotes reveals walking as a profound practice—an invitation to cultivate mindfulness and reconnect with oneself and the world around us.

Thought of the day Walking

We curl around our own pain until we can’t see beyond ourselves. You want to walk on? Walk out of that shadow.

- Rachel Hartman Thought

Our first steps are among the most celebrated milestones of our youth. But for some reason, as we age, walking gets taken for granted. That's puzzling, since walking is one of the most comprehensive, and safest, fitness routines available. All you need is a good pair of walking shoes and socks, and you are good to go.

- Brion O'connor

Although there are many ways to achieve a healthier lifestyle, walking is proven to have the highest success rate because people are less likely to quit doing it than with other physical activities.

- Samantha Morgan

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

If I am walking with two other men, each of them will serve as my teacher. I will pick out the good points of the one and imitate them, and the bad points of the other and correct them in myself.

- Confucius

If every day you practice walking and sitting meditation and generate the energy of mindfulness and concentration and peace, you are a cell in the body of the new Buddha. This is not a dream but is possible today and tomorrow.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

From the child's first faltering step across the homely carpet, to the astronaut's "one giant stride for mankind" over the alien moon dust, walking is the simplest but most glorious declaration of human independence.

- Duncan Minshull

I walk every day, and I look at the mountains and the fields and the small city, and I say: 'Oh my God, what a blessing.' Then you realize it's important to put it in a context beyond this woman, this man, this city, this country, this universe.

- Paulo Coelho

If a walker is indeed an individualist there is nowhere he can’t go at dawn and not many places he can’t go at noon. But just as it demeans life to live alongside a great river you can no longer swim in or drink from, to be crowed into safer areas and hours takes much of the floss off waking – one sport you shouldn’t have to reserve a time and a court for.

- Edward Hoagland

When one walks, one is brought into touch first of all with the essential relations between one’s physical powers and the character of the country; one is compelled to see it as its natives do. Then every man one meets is an individual. One is no longer regarded by the whole population as an unapproachable and uninteresting animal to be cheated and robbed.

- Aleister Crowley

The true charm of pedestrianism does not lie in the walking, or in the scenery, but in the talking. The walking is good to time the movement of the tongue by, and to keep the blood and the brain stirred up and active; the scenery and the woodsy smells are good to bear in upon a man an unconscious and unobtrusive charm and solace to eye and soul and sense; but the supreme pleasure comes from the talk.

- Mark Twain

Walking Quotes List and Sayings in English

Tough times don’t last but tough people do. 

- Robert Schuller

Tough times don’t last but tough people do.

- Walking Quotes by Robert Schuller

An invitation of a beautiful street is an invitation to walk within a dream!

- Mehmet Murat ildan

An invitation of a beautiful street is an invitation to walk within a dream!

- Mehmet Murat ildan Quotation

Walking gets the feet moving, the blood moving, the mind moving. And movement is life. 

Terri Guillemets

Walking gets the feet moving, the blood moving, the mind moving. And movement is life.

- A Quotation From Terri Guillemets

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day. 

Henry David Thoreau

An early-morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.

Henry David Thoreau

You will never get to a new place by walking an old path.

- Toni Sorenson

You will never get to a new place by walking an old path.

- Walking Quotes in English by Toni Sorenson

Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very fast.

- Thomas Jefferson

Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very fast.

- Thomas Jefferson

No city should be too large for a man to walk out of in a morning.

Cyril Connolly

When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking.

- Michael Patrick King

If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should just explode and perish.

- Charles Dickens

Walking is the best possible exercise. Habituate yourself to walk very far.

Thomas Jefferson

There comes . . . a longing never to travel again except on foot.

- Wendell Berry

I believe something wonderful is going to happen to me today.

-Unknown

Bravery is when you walk into a battle you are not sure of winning.

- Jeffrey Fry

All truly great thoughts are conceived while walking.

Friedrich Nietzsche

Would you care to walk to the river?

-Miles

Walking for health and fitness, the easiest way to get in shape and stay in shape.

- Frank Ring

I went for a walk in your mind. It led me to your heart.

- Nitya Prakash

If you are in a bad mood go for a walk.If you are still in a bad mood go for another walk.

Hippocrates

Walking is a pastime rather than an avocation.

Rebecca Solnit

To what roads have I come walking on unknown paths!

- Avijeet Das

If you don't like the road you're walking, start paving another one.

- Dolly Parton

It seems thus possible to give a preliminary definition of walking as a space of enunciation.

Michel de Certeau

Beauty surrounds us, but usually we need to be walking in a garden to know it.

- Rumi

But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.

John Muir

Everywhere is within walking distance if you have the time.

- Steven Wright

Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.

Steven Wright

I would love to walk anywhere with you.

- Amber

When beauty walks, rainbows take to the air.

- Anthony T. Hincks

Every walker is a guard on patrol to protect the ineffable.

Rebecca Solnit

Walking makes us take problems in our stride.

Andy Hargreaves

It was a long walk back to civilisation. Death was just a stroll away.

- Dean F. Wilson

We never know the journey another person has walked, so be kind to everyone.

- Lynette Mather

It is not talking but walking that will bring us to heaven.

Matthew Henry

The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk.

- Jacqueline Schiff

Walking is also an ambulation of mind.

Gretel Ehrlich

If you can walk on the light, you get endless paths to go anywhere in the universe!

- Mehmet Murat ildan

To learn, to love, to walk in the light, that is all there is.

- Lailah Gifty Akita

It is no use walking anywhere to preach unless our walking is our preaching.

Francis of Assisi

As people are walking all the time, in the same spot, a path appears.

John Locke

Yesterday I soared above the clouds. Today I'll walk the earth again.

- Anthony T.Hincks

Walking Quotes List

We curl around our own pain until we can’t see beyond ourselves. You want to walk on? Walk out of that shadow.

- Rachel Hartman *

If you're walking down the right path and you're willing to keep walking, eventually you'll make progress.

Barack Obama

Walk on, yes, but don’t walk away from people who need you.

- Rachel Hartman

The mind picks some very bad times to take a walk doesn't it?

- Jeff Lindsay

Walking is the favorite sport of the good and wise.

- A. L. Rowse

We make the path by walking.

Robert Bly

Walks. The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird.

Jules Renard

If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.

Raymond Inmon

The older you are, and the faster you walk, the crazier you look.

- Mokokoma Mokhonoana

Walking through this life really is walking through fire.

Chaka Khan

Walk as if you are kissing the Earth with your feet.

- Thich Nhat Hanh

Good walking leaves no track behind it.

- Laozi

In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.

- John Muir

Walk like you have three men walking behind you.

Anonymous

We all walk in the dark and each of us must learn to turn on his or her own light.

Earl Nightingale

The path you walk today will determine where you are tomorrow.

- Toni Sorenson

Walking is good for the soul.

Andy Rooney

To walk with arrogance, is to walk without knowing your own footsteps.

- Anthony T. Hincks

The best remedy for a short temper is a long walk.

Jacqueline Schiff

Walking is a technique of solitude, a way into reverie. The walker is not a sleepwalker but a daydreamer.

- Deirdre Heddon

If you seek creative ideas go walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.

- Raymond Inmon

When walking alone on the path of discovery, have faith that you are illuminating the way for others to follow.

- Steven Magee

A walk you made by disappearing amongst the green grasses is always richer than a walk you make amongst the green emeralds!

- Mehmet Murat ildan

Walking is man's best medicine. 

- Hippocrates

Walking is man's best medicine.

- Walking Quotes by Hippocrates Download or Share

The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk. 

- Walking Quotes by Marcus Tullius Cicero

The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk.

- Walking Thoughts by Marcus Tullius Cicero Download or Share

But the beauty is in the walking - we are betrayed by destinations. 

- Gwyn Thomas

But the beauty is in the walking - we are betrayed by destinations.

- Gwyn Thomas Download or Share

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.

- Walking Quotes by Friedrich Nietzsche

All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.

- Walking Quotes by Friedrich Nietzsche Download or Share

A morning walk sets us out on the right foot for the day. 

Terri Guillemets

A morning walk sets us out on the right foot for the day.

- Walking Quotes in English by Terri Guillemets Download or Share

Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light.

- Helen Keller Download or Share

Walking brings me back to myself.

- Laurette Mortimer Download or Share

After a day's walk everything has twice its usual value.

George Macauley Trevelyan Download or Share

You don't learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.

Richard Branson Download or Share

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 Download or Share

No one saves us but ourselves. No one can and no one may. We ourselves must walk the path.

- Gautama Buddha

A lone walker is both present and detached, more than an audience but less than a participant. Walking assuages or legitimizes this alienation.

- Rebecca Solnit

Formal education teaches how to stand, but to see the rainbow you must come out and walk many steps on your own.

- Amit Ray

I am alarmed when it happens that I have walked a mile into the woods bodily, without getting there in spirit.

- Henry David Thoreau

Go back to what's good, what's certain, what's always there. You woke up today. Just start walking.

- Jesse L. Martin

All walking is discovery. On foot we take the time to see things whole.

Hal Borland

It's the not exactly knowing of the way, the map thrown away that makes the setting sun the guide, and makes the setting come alive.

- Art Garfunkel

Every man must decide whether he will walk in the light of creative altruism or in the darkness of destructive selfishness.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.

- Charles Dickens

Walking Quotation List

Walking is a valued milestone, an important functional skill, and an indicator of increased independence that is based on motor control.

- Judith C. Bierman

The compact between writing and walking is almost as old as literature - a walk is only a step away from a story, and every path tells.

- Robert Macfarlane

The destiny of every walking man is to immerse himself in the panorama surrounding him, to the point of becoming one with it and, ultimately, to vanish.

Federico Castigliano Thoughts

Walking is the great adventure, the first meditation, a practice of heartiness and soul primary to humankind. Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.

Gary Snyder

A morning walk gives the body a chance to forgive the trials and tribulations of yesterday, to shed its rubbish and mental clutter.

- Terri Guillemets

Walking is the natural recreation for a man who desires not absolutely to suppress his intellect but to turn it out to play for a season.

Leslie Stephen

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.

Paul Dudley White

There is this to be said for walking: it's the one mode of human locomotion by which a man proceeds on his own two feet, upright, erect, as a man should be, not squatting on his rear haunches like a frog.

- Edward Abbey

When we lose the pieces of the wayward mechanism of our life and can’t walk our own walk anymore, we can’t but turn back the clock for a while and detect the hitch, to find out where things went wrong.

- Erik Pevernagie

A vigorous five-mile walk will do more good for an unhappy but otherwise healthy adult than all the medicine and psychology in the world.

- Paul Dudley White

A long walk to find the truth. I have never been so distraught as to find it. He lives because he died in despair, he dies because he never regretted walking without looking back.

- Alan Maiccon

Walking is the only form of transportation in which a man proceeds erect - like a man - on his own legs, under his own power. There is immense satisfaction in that.

- Edward Abbey

Walking is a year-round activity, and need not be confined to the dry summer months, for there is as much beauty to be found in the countryside in the leafless months of winter as in vibrant spring and the golden days of autumn.

- Kev Reynolds

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