165 Walking Quotes About The Mental, Physical, And Emotional Benefits

By Stephanie Kirby | Published October 31, 2023

Find your motivation to get up and head out for a walk with these walking quotes.

Walking is one of the simplest forms of exercise and one that the majority of people are able to do.

And, the best part is, there are more than just physical benefits to exercise.

There are many mental and emotional benefits that come along with it as well.

Walking through nature also comes with added benefits.

It often helps people feel connected with nature and pull away from the world’s business.

And then in the quiet and calm, they’re able to reconnect with their thoughts.

Read the walking quotes below for some other great reminders about the benefits of walking.

If you like this article, we suggest you explore our most popular quotes article, a list of short inspirational quotes for daily encouragement.

Read more related content on our inspirational quotes category page.

Walking quotes about thinking and walking

1. “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

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2. “Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

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3. “I am a slow walker, but I never walk back.” – Abraham Lincoln

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4. “Everywhere is walking distance if you have the time.” – Steven Wright

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5. “Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move, my thoughts begin to flow.” – Henry David Thoreau

Walking quotes about exercise and health

6. “Walking is the best possible exercise.” – Thomas Jefferson

7. “Walking is the favorite sport of the good and wise.” – A.L. Rowse

8. “I look my best when I’m totally free, on holiday, walking on the beach.” – Rosamund Pike

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9. “Walking gets the feet moving, the blood moving, the mind moving.” – Terri Guillemets

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10. “Walking is cheap, fun, safe and acceptable exercise.” – Annie Taylor

11. “Exercise to stimulate, not to annihilate. The world wasn’t formed in a day, and neither were we. Set small goals and build upon them.” – Lee Haney

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Walking quotes about the mental health benefits of walking

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

13. “Walking brings me back to myself.” – Laurette Mortimer

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14. “A morning walk sets us out on the right foot for the day.” – Terri Guillemets

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15. “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, sometimes to make me feel less like jumping off a building.” – Jim Butcher

16. “If you are in a bad mood go for a walk. If you are still in a bad mood, go for another walk.” – Hippocrates

17. “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

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18. “We live in a fast-paced society. Walking slows us down.” – Robert Sweetgall

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19. “A morning walk gives the body a chance to forgive the trails and tribulations of yesterday, to shed its rubbish and mental clutter.” – Terri Guillemets

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Walking quotes to get you on your feet

20. “There are plenty of difficult obstacles in your path. Don’t allow yourself to become one of them.” – Ralph Marston

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21. “I love walking because it clears your mind, enriches the soul, takes away stress and opens up your eyes to a whole new world.” – Claudette Dudley

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Walking quotes about nature

22. “In every walk with nature, one receives far more than he seeks.” – John Muir

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23. “Walking shares with making and working that crucial.” – Unknown

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24. “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

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25. “Good walking leaves no track behind it.” – Laozi

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26. “There is nothing like walking to get the feel of a country. A fine landscape is like a piece of music; it must be taken at the right temp. Even a bicycle goes too fast.” – Paul Scott Mowrer

27. “Walking… is how the body measures itself against the earth.” – Rebecca Sonit

Inspirational walking quotes

28. “He who would learn to fly one day must first learn to stand and walk and run and climb and dance; one cannot fly into flying.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

29. “My father considered a walk among the mountains as the equivalent of churchgoing.” – Aldous Huxley

30. “An early morning walk is a blessing for the whole day.” – Henry David Thoreau

31. “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

32. “When real people fall down in life, they get right back up and keep on walking.” – Michael Patrick King

33. “If I feel frustrated in a situation, I take a deep breath and walk away.” – Iman

34. “After a day’s walk everything has twice its usual value.” – George Macauley Trevelyan

35. “You don’t learn to walk by following rules. You learn by doing, and by falling over.” – Richard Branson

Insightful walking quotes

36. “Golf is a good walk spoiled.” – Mark Twain

37. “If I could not walk far and fast, I think I should explode and perish.” – Charles Dickens

38. “Walking is the natural recreation for a person who desires not absolutely to suppress his intellect but to turn it out to play for a season.” – Leslie Stephen

39. “If you are seeking creative ideas, go out walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.” – Raymond Inmon

40. “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

41. “Walking is pretty easy. You just have to be confident, like not caring. And honestly, people think about their walk too much, so they try to do something really interesting, but the designers hate it.” – Lucky Blue Smith

42. “Walk like you have three men walking behind you.” – Anonymous

43. Climb the mountain so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” ― William Blake

44. “The higher we are placed, the more humbly we should walk.” – Marcus Tullius Cicero

45. “Walking: the most ancient exercise and still the best modern exercise.” – Carrie Latet

46. “When you have worn out your shoes, the strength of the shoe leather has passed into the fiber of your body. I measure your health by the number of shoes and hats and clothes you have worn out.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
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47. “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

More walking quotes and sayings

48. “My grandmother started walking five miles a day when she was sixty. She’s ninety-seven now, and we don’t know where the heck she is.” – Ellen DeGeneres

49. “But the beauty is in the walking, we are betrayed by destinations.” – Gwyn Thomas

50. “There comes… a longing never to travel again except on foot.” – Wendell Berry

51. “Walking in shoes is physical walking, but walking barefoot is spiritual walking!” – Mehmet Murat ildan

52. “Walking makes the world much bigger and therefore more interesting.” – Edward Abbey

53. “Walking is the desire for life.” – Jeffrey C. Robinson

54. I am extremely happy walking on the downs…I like to have space to spread my mind out in.” – Virginia Woolf

55. “Take a walk outside – it will serve you far more than pacing around in your mind.” – Rasheed Ogunlaru

56. “I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.” – Noel Coward

57. “Walking through darkness with thoughts full of colors.” – Prajakta Mhadnak

Motivational Walking Quotes to get You Walking

58. “Walking is man’s best medicine.” – Hippocrates

59. “Make your feet your friend.” – J.M. Barrie

60. “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

61. “Walks. The body advances, while the mind flutters around it like a bird.” – Jules Renard

62. “Hiking and happiness go hand in hand or foot in boot.” – Diane Spicer

63. “It is quite possible to leave your home for a walk in the early morning air and return a different person – beguiled, enchanted.” – Mary Ellen Chase

64. “This early piece of the morning is mine.” – Wallace Stegner

65. “Early morning exercise will keep you active for the entire day.” – Lailah Gifty Akita

66. “In the morning a man walks with his whole body; in the evening, only with his legs.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson

67. “Morning is an important time of day, because how you spend your morning can often tell you what kind of day you are going to have.” – Lemony Snicket

Short Walking Quotes To Encourage Walking

68. “Thoughts come clearly while one walks.” — Thomas Mann

69. “A rainy day is the perfect time for a walk in the woods.” — Rachel Carson

70. “Take a quiet walk with Mother Nature. It will nurture your mind, body and soul.” — Antony Douglas Williams

71. “When you walk in the mountains or swim in the sea, again, you set yourself free.” — Jay Woodman

72. “It is not talking but walking that will bring us to heaven.” — Matthew Henry

73. “A walk in nature, walks the soul back home.” — Mary Davis

74. “Perhaps the truth depends on a walk around the lake.” — Wallace Stevens

75. “To solve a problem, walk around.” — Gregory McNamee

76. “Walking is good for solving problems — it’s like the feet are little psychiatrists.” — Terri Guillemets

77. “Some people walk in the rain; others just get wet.” — Roger Miller

Walking Quotes To Inspire You To An Extra Mile

78. “Walking is the exact balance between spirit and humility.” — Gary Snyder

79. “I took a walk in the woods and came out taller than the trees” — Henry David Thoreau

80. “You don’t walk to kill time but to welcome it, to pick off its leaves and petals one by one, second by second.” — Frédéric Gros

81. “If your walking inspires others a lot then you should walk a lot because the good you give to others will definitely come back to you!” — Mehmet Murat ildan

82. “The joy some people get from driving a flashy car is not even a hundredth of that some people get from walking for pleasure.”― Mokokoma Mokhonoana

83. “I have two doctors, my left leg and my right.” — G.M. Trevelyan

84. “Walking is a daily experience and a lifetime journey.” — Maxine Bigby Cunningham

85. “The sovereign invigorator of the body is exercise, and of all the exercises walking is the best.” — Thomas Jefferson

86. “Walking for health and fitness the easiest way to get in shape and stay in shape.” — Frank Ring

87.“Walking in the night is a great blessing for the wise souls who are deeply in love with the silence!” — Mehmet Murat ildan

Walking Quotes To Help Relax Your Mind

88. “Walking is good for all of us, and so is being outside.” — Lee Scott

89. “Walking is great for any fitness level. The great thing about walking is there is walking levels for every level of fitness. The benefits are immense.” — Zayne Mitchell

90. “Walking is good for your mental and emotional health as well; studies have shown that the simple act of walking is extremely effective for relieving stress and tension.” — Art Brownstein

91. “The reality is that simply going for a walk is not likely to clear depression but it might make some difference. If it clears it by ten percent, then it’s worth doing.” — John Crawford

92. “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

93. “Going for a walk is one of the pleasantest things in life.” — PROF. Shriniwas

94. “Walking and hiking, especially in an ancient wilderness, can heal the mind and body.” — Cindy Ross

95. “Twenty minutes’ walking will give you plenty of productive thinking time, lets you appreciate your surroundings and smell the air, and helps you put things into focus.” — ‎Linda Bird

96. “My father was a great walker and it was natural that I learnt the habit of walking from him. He would say that walking, like any other physical activity, begins in the mind.” — Bob D’Costa

97. “Whether the pace is slow or fast, walking is good for everyone.” — Chelsea Austin

Walking Quotes To Help You Keep Fit

98. “Walking articulates both physical and mental freedom.” ― Rebecca Solnit

99. “If you’re walking down the right path and you’re willing to keep walking, eventually you’ll make progress.” ― Barack Obama

100. “I often talk to myself while walking down the street. I did it as a kid.” ― Chris O’Dowd

101. “Who fastest walks, but walks astray, Is only furthest from his way.” ― Matthew Prior

102. “As a diabetic, I’m a walking picnic. I have to eat measured amounts of food at certain times.” ― Elaine Stritch

103. “Despite the usual idea of a figure skater, I have no rhythm when it comes to even walking off the ice. I fall off curbs all the time.” ― Johnny Weir

104. “I feel like I’m playing more of a role walking down the red carpet than when I’m playing an ordinary woman covered in sweat.” ― Kate Winslet

105. “Walk and talk with humility, but be fearless like a lion!” ― Mwanandeke Kindembo

106. “It’s not the length of my stride. It’s the fact that I’m walking.” ― Craig D. Lounsbrough

107. “Going out for a walk is the most satisfying endeavour that one can implement in a day.” ― Vinod Varghese Antony

Walking Quotes To Refresh Your Mind

108. “All walking is discovery. On foot we take the time to see things whole.” ― Hal Borland

109. “Walking makes us take problems in our stride.” ― Andy Hargreaves

110. “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.

111. “Start walking and keep walking—and if you ever come near him again, I’ll break both your legs.” ― Aline MacMahon

112. “Walking is good for the soul.” ― Andy Rooney

113. “You can walk without going to someone.” ― Nancy Hopkins Reily

114. “Sitting or walking, the body must be held erect. To sit or stand otherwise is a sign of laziness.” ― Ghandiji

115. “As people are walking all the time, in the same spot, a path appears.” ― John Locke

116. “But in every walk with Nature one receives far more than he seeks.” ― John Muir

117. “Do not ride if you can walk.” ― Ghandiji

Walking Quotes to Energize Your Journey

118. “Every walker is a guard on patrol to protect the ineffable.” ― Rebecca Solnit

119. “Walking is also an ambulation of mind.” ― Gretel Ehrlich

120. “For me optimism is two lovers walking into the sunset arm in arm. Or maybe into the sunrise – whatever appeals to you.” ― Krzysztof Kieslowski

121. “I do find walking is fundamental to my creative process.” ― Baz Luhrmann

122. “I do yoga, lunges, crunches, things like that for 40 minutes twice a week. For cardio I usually do the elliptical, treadmill or walking.” ― Martina McBride

123.”I don’t have the luxury of having a dog myself because I travel too much, but I love walking and cuddling somebody else’s dog.” ― Ingrid Newkirk

124. “I want to keep walking away from the person I was a moment ago, because a mind was made fo figure things out, not to read the same page recurrently.” ― Donald Miller

125. “He always did the leaving. But not this time. She kept walking, and did not look back.” ― Sarah Dessen

126. “I don’t even remember the season. I just remember walking between them and feeling for the first time that I belonged somewhere.” ― Stephen Chbosky

127. “Grammar is…the pole you grab to get your thoughts up on their feet and walking.” ― Stephen King

Walking Quotes for Peace and Meditation

128. I walk: I prefer walking.” ― Jane Austen

129. “I chuckled to myself and kept walking. The Universe had proven Curran wrong: a person who aggravated him more than me did, in fact, exist.” ― Ilona Andrews

130. “Let’s take a walk. You can show me some of your memories and I’ll show you some of mine.” ― Adam Berlin

131. “Leave the talking for others and live by walking. Go, go and go extra mile and you will be a true owner of what belongs to you.” ― Israelmore Ayivor

132. “Because the earth is walking in the space, even when we sit on the earth, we are still walking!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

133. “It is good to collect things, but it is better to go on walks.” ― Anatole France

134. “To understand the journey you have to do the walking.” ― Bryant McGill

135. “There is nothing healthier for a man than to walk on his own two legs.” ― José Saramago

136. “Walking’s a great way to create. The ideas seem to fall from the sky sometimes, and the fresh air is great too.” ― Kenneth G. Eade

Walking Quotes to Reconnect with Nature

137. “Walking is great for your heart. Dogs are great for your heart. Need I say more?” ― Carlyn Montes De Oca

138. “Walking is great for our spiritual well-being too. It is the fastest pace for noticing something enough to truly see it and appreciate it fully, not just with our eyes but with all our senses in the way that children do.” ― Christine Aroney-Sine

139. “There is no habit you will value so much as that of walking far without fatigue.” ― Thomas Jefferson

140. “Happy is the person who has acquired the love of walking for its own sake.” ― Willian Jacob Holland

141. I take brisk walks in the sunshine to invigorate my body and soul.” ― Louise Hay

142. “Yes, I do enjoy walking at night. The world’s a lot more to my liking then, not so loud, not so fast, not so crowded, and a great deal more mysterious.” ― Cornelia Funke

143. “To walk safely through the maze of human life, one needs the light of wisdom and guidance of virtue.” ― Gautama Buddha

144. “The soul that sees beauty may sometimes walk alone.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

145. “Walking is great to be used as an exercise program.” ― Lee Haney

146. “Many exercise forms – aerobic, yoga, weights, walking and more – have been shown to benefit mood.” ― Andrew Weil

Walking Quotes About the Art of Walking

147. I favor parking a few miles from the office and walking to work. You get the benefit of exercise and besides it is easier to get a parking space.” ― Paul Dudley White

148. Think health, eat sparingly, exercise regularly, walk a lot, and think positively about yourself.” ― Norman Vincent Peale

149. Exercise will aid in the work of digestion. Take a walk after a meal; but no violent exercise after a full meal.” ― Ellen Gould White

150. “If you seek creative ideas go walking. Angels whisper to a man when he goes for a walk.” ― Raymond Inmon

151. “The best way to lengthen out our days is to walk steadily and with a purpose.” ― Charles Dickens

152. “Shed your thoughts of being in a rut, and get out for an afternoon walk.” ― Andy Atticus

153. “When we walk into a grove of trees or under an open sky the magic of nature takes over and the heaviness of life lifts a little.” ― Natassia Cassinero

154. “I slow down when hiking. The rhythm of nature is more leisurely. The sun comes up, it moves across the sky, and you begin to synchronize to that rhythm.” ― John Mackey

155. “Jobs fill your pockets, but adventures fill your soul.” ― Jaime Lyn Beatty

156. “Walk away quietly in any direction and taste the freedom of the mountaineer.” ― John Muir

157. “Crowds most envy the lonely man who walks confidently as if he is walking with the great crowds!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

158. “Angels walk among us, Sometimes the only thing we may not see are the wings upon their backs.” ― Molly Friedenfeld

159. “Walking is not important; walking to the right direction, that is important!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

160. “I will rather walk alone in the light than to live in the dark.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

161. “The simplest secret of reaching any place is to start walking!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

162. “a walk is only a step away from a story, and every path tells.” ― Robert Macfarlane

163. “I always feel so sorry for women who don’t like to walk” ― Kate Chopin

164. “May the people walking in darkness see the dawn of a glorious light.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

165. “Try to pause each day and take a walk to view nature.” ― Lailah Gifty Akita

Which of these walking quotes is your favorite?

Look for times to schedule walks into your day.

Getting away from and providing yourself time to think can be just the thing that you need to clear your head.

And then, there are other times when it’s helpful to walk with a friend or loved one.

It allows you to have a chance to talk and focus on nothing but the other person.

So whether you’re in a good mood and want a little exercise, stressed out and tired, or feeling overwhelmed, a good walk could be just the thing that you need in your day.