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mens sana in corpore sano

{{Short description|Latin phrase regarding health}}

{{Italic title}}

{{distinguish|In corpore sano}}

{{Lang|la|Mens sana in corpore sano}} ({{IPA|la-x-classic|mẽːs ˈsaːna ɪŋ ˈkɔrpɔrɛ ˈsaːnoː|lang|link=yes}}) is a Latin phrase, usually translated as "a healthy mind in a healthy body". The phrase is widely used in sporting and educational contexts to express that physical exercise is an important or essential part of mental and psychological well-being.

History

The phrase comes from Satire X ({{circa|2nd century AD}}) of the Roman poet Juvenal (10.356). It is the first in a list of what is desirable in life:

{{verse translation|lang=el|

orandum est ut sit mens sana in corpore sano.

fortem posce animum mortis terrore carentem,

qui spatium vitae extremum inter munera ponat

naturae, qui ferre queat quoscumque labores,

nesciat irasci, cupiat nihil et potiores

Herculis aerumnas credat saevosque labores

et venere et cenis et pluma Sardanapalli.

monstro quod ipse tibi possis dare; semita certe

tranquillae per virtutem patet unica vitae.

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You should pray for a healthy mind in a healthy body.

Ask for a stout heart that has no fear of death,

and deems length of days the least of Nature's gifts

that can endure any kind of toil,

that knows neither wrath nor desire and thinks

the woes and hard labors of Hercules better than

the loves and banquets and downy cushions of Sardanapalus.

What I commend to you, you can give to yourself;

For assuredly, the only road to a life of peace is virtue.

|attr1=Roman poet Juvenal (10.356-64)

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Traditional commentators believe that Juvenal’s intention was to teach his fellow Roman citizens that in the main, their prayers for such things as long life are misguided and that the gods had provided man with virtues which he then lists for them.

Over time and separated from its context, the phrase has come to have a range of meanings. It can be construed to mean that only a healthy mind can lead to a healthy body, or equally that only a healthy body can produce or sustain a healthy mind. Its most general usage is to express the hierarchy of needs, with physical and mental health at the root.

An earlier, similar saying is attributed to the 6th century BC Greek pre-Socratic philosopher Thales of Miletus:

{{verse translation|lang=el|italicsoff=yes|

τίς εὐδαίμων, "ὁ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὑγιής, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν εὔπορος, τὴν δὲ φύσιν εὐπαίδευτος"

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What man is happy? "He who has a healthy body, a resourceful mind and a docile nature."As quoted by Diogenes Laërtius, (R. D. Hicks, ed.), Lives of Eminent Philosophers I:37 ([https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0257%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D1 Greek]; [https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0258%3Abook%3D1%3Achapter%3D1 English]).

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Usages

See also

Footnotes

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References

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Mens sana in corpore sano}}

Category:Latin words and phrases

Category:Health