Mens sana in corpore sano is a Latin phrase, usually translated as "a sound mind in a sound body". The phrase is widely used in sporting and educational contexts to express the theory that physical exercise is an important or essential part of mental and psychological well-being.
The phrase comes from Satire X of the Roman poet Juvenal (10.356). It is the first in a list of what is desirable in life:
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. 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 pre-Socratic philosopher Thales:
τίς εὐδαίμων, "ὁ τὸ μὲν σῶμα ὑγιής, τὴν δὲ ψυχὴν εὔπορος, τὴν δὲ φύσιν εὐπαίδευτος"
What man is happy? "He who has a healthy body, a resourceful mind and a docile nature."
Usage in other writings
John Locke (1632–1704) uses the phrase in his book Some Thoughts Concerning Education.
Heinrich von Treitschke used this phrase in his work titled The Army. He uses the phrase to highlight a sound principle of his German nationalistic doctrine. His work echoes the principles of late nineteenth century Prussian society.
Usage as the motto of athletic clubs:
Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata
Georgetown Hoyas
R.S.C. Anderlecht
The Turners Organization American Turners and their local organizations like the Los Angeles turners.
Carlton Football Club
Asociacion Atletica Argentinos Juniors
The Israeli Institute of Technology athletics teams
Mens Sana Basket
Beale Gaelic Football Club from County Kerry
Torrens Rowing Club
Sydney Rowing Club
UCLUFC
Usage as the motto of military institutions:
Royal Marines physical training instructors (PTI).
Riverside Military Academy in Gainesville, Georgia
Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Virginia
Army Physical Training Corps (APTC)
PERI (Physical Education & Recreation Instructors), which is part of the Canadian Military
New Zealand Defence Force Physical Training Instructors.
Usage as the motto of educational institutions:
Windham High School (Ohio)
Hiranandani Foundation School, Mumbai, India
Rosario High School, Mangalore, India
Teacher's College of Columbia University has this phrase engraved on its Horace Mann hall, on 120th Street in New York City
The University College London Men's Rugby Football Club, Based out of the Bloomsbury in London
Grant Medical College and Sir J.J. Hospital, Mumbai
Widener University and the State University of New York at Buffalo
The phrase appears in stone on the western facade of the HPER (School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation) at Indiana University in Bloomington, Indiana
The phrase appears in stone on above the entranceway to the Athletic Center at Mount Allison University in Sackville, New Brunswick
Albert Schweitzer Pastoral Medicine Institute
Dhaka Physical Education College in Dhaka, Bangladesh
Sparta High School in Sparta, New Jersey
Charleston Female Seminary
Detroit Country Day School in Beverly Hills, Michigan
Erskine Academy in South China, Maine
Roger Bacon High School, St. Bernard, Ohio
Bjelke-Petersen School of Physical Culture, Australia
Bridgewater Junior Senior High School in Bridgewater, Nova Scotia
Kongsbakken videregående skole in Tromsø, Norway
Lakefield College School in Lakefield, Canada
Polish Association of Sport named SOKÓŁ before World War I. Poland, Galicja in that time Austria
The Internado Nacional Barros Arana in Santiago, Chile.
Albert Einstein School in Cotabato (Philippines)
Used as a line in the school song of Bangor Grammar School, in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland.
Used as motto for Lundsbergs skola, an elite school in Sweden.
Used as motto for Foxcroft School, an all-girls' boarding school in Middleburg, Virginia.
Westholme School, an independent school set on the edge of the countryside of Blackburn, England
Loyola High School in Montreal, Canada
Usage in other cases:
The phrase was a favorite of Harry S. Truman former President of the United States of America.
The sports equipment company Asics takes its name from an acronym of a variant: "anima sana in corpore sano" 'a healthy soul in a healthy body'.
Mensa, the High IQ Society, derives its name both from the Latin word for table, "mensa" as well as a pun on the phrase "mens sana".
Used as the title of the television programme Holby City broadcast on 9 July 2013.
Sound Body Sound Mind, a United States nonprofit organization (501(c)(3) that promotes self-confidence and healthy lifestyle choices among children.
Used in a dialogue by Utpal Dutta in th movie "Agantuk" directed/screenplay by Satyajit Ray.
Used as motto for fictional "Willowbrook Psychiatric Hospital" in television show Psych during season 7: Psych: The Musical
Used as motto for fictional "Blackwood Pines Sanatorium" in the 2015 video game Until Dawn.
