Eric Chaline > Quotes

“One can imagine that if humanity suddenly disappeared from the planet, the cat would shrug its shoulders, raise its tail, and return to its forest habitat, there to live as its ancestors have done for two million years, forever in search of something small, furry, and squeaky to play with.”
― Eric Chaline

“a gym is one of the most important aspects of their individual identities. On the physical level, it provides very tangible benefits, in terms of appearance, health and general well-being, and we should not underestimate”
― Eric Chaline, Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym

“Untamed, the mind is your greatest enemy: crippled by self-doubt, beset by irrational fears, and divided by its own conflicting desires. In meditation you will find the inner peace that alone can give you clarity, simplicity, and happiness.”
― Eric Chaline, Tai Chi For Body, Mind & Spirit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Physical & Mental Balance

“edifices”
― Eric Chaline, Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym

“At present the industry is catering to the converted –”
― Eric Chaline, Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym

“a temple dedicated to personal identity and the perfectibility of the body, where members pursue and achieve their individual arete.”
― Eric Chaline, Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym

“or ignore the sheer physical pleasure that exercisers get from moving and activating the body, recognized by the philosopher Jeremy Bentham as ‘the pleasure of health, or, the internal pleasurable feeling or flow of spirits which accompanies a state of full health and vigour’. The gym also gives its members a sense of personal empowerment and agency that might not be available to them in other areas of their lives, as well as a sense of achievement when they accomplish the physical challenges they have set themselves. On the social level it gives them access to a ready-made community of like-minded people who are potential friends and partners. My conclusion, therefore, is that for the convert minority, the gym has once again become a quasi-religious space”
― Eric Chaline, Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym

“The universe is a constantly evolving process: night makes way for day, the seasons change, the generations succeed one another. To be truly happy we have to find our own balance in a sea of eternal change.”
― Eric Chaline, Tai Chi For Body, Mind & Spirit: A Step-by-Step Guide to Achieving Physical & Mental Balance

“cataphract.”
― Eric Chaline, Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym

“the body as the visible expression of the empowerment”
― Eric Chaline, Temple of Perfection: A History of the Gym