The exact words
“Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano.”Juvenal, Satire 10, line 356 (“You should pray for a sound mind in a sound body”)
✓ VerifiedFound in a primary source: the original book, speech transcript, letter or recording.
What people get wrong
Common reading
A motto that exercise makes you smarter, or that fitness is the key to a good mind.
A motto that exercise makes you smarter, or that fitness is the key to a good mind.
Closer to the original
Juvenal was not giving fitness advice. He was saying that most of what people pray for is useless or dangerous, and that the only sensible wish is for good health of mind and body, plus a brave heart.
Juvenal was not giving fitness advice. He was saying that most of what people pray for is useless or dangerous, and that the only sensible wish is for good health of mind and body, plus a brave heart.
Timeline
- early 2nd century ADJuvenal's tenth satire lists the things people beg the gods for, such as riches, fame, beauty and old age, and shows how each one can ruin them. He ends by naming what is actually worth asking for.
- 1693The English philosopher John Locke opens Some Thoughts Concerning Education with the same words in English, “a sound mind in a sound body,” using it to argue for children's physical as well as mental training.
- 19th–20th centuriesSchools, gyms and sports clubs adopt it as a motto, and the phrase becomes linked with physical education.
Use it in a speech
The Romans had a phrase, mens sana in corpore sano, a healthy mind in a healthy body. Training is only half the job. Rest, eat well and come back with your head clear.
~11 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “a healthy body”
Best spotthe end of the season briefing
The poet Juvenal said that of everything you could wish for, the best is a healthy mind in a healthy body. I wish you more than that, but never less.
~9 secondsto say aloud
Pauseafter “a healthy body”
Best spotthe closing lines
Juvenal's “mens sana in corpore sano” was not a fitness slogan but the end of a prayer list: the one wish he thought worth making.
~8 secondsto say aloud
Pausenone needed in writing
Best spotopening sentence
Questions people ask
What does mens sana in corpore sano mean?
“A healthy mind in a healthy body.”
Who said mens sana in corpore sano?
The Roman poet Juvenal, in Satire 10, line 356.
What is the full line?
“Orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano”: you should pray for a sound mind in a sound body. In the next lines he adds a brave spirit that does not fear death.
Which brand is named after it?
The sportswear company ASICS takes its name from a variation, “anima sana in corpore sano,” a healthy soul in a healthy body.
Cite this quote
These cite the original text directly, so you can use them in an essay or paper. Always check your teacher's required style.
MLAJuvenal. “Satires.” Satire 10, line 356. early 2nd century AD. The Latin Library, www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/10.shtml.
APAJuvenal. (125). Satires. The Latin Library. https://www.thelatinlibrary.com/juvenal/10.shtml
CHICAGOJuvenal, “Satires,” Satire 10, line 356, early 2nd century AD.
IN TEXT (APA)(Juvenal, 125)
Sources
- Juvenal, Satire 10 (Latin text). The Latin Library.
- John Locke, Some Thoughts Concerning Education (1693), section 1.