"In setting out the walls of a city the choice of a healthy situation is of the first importance: it should be on high ground, neither subject to fogs nor rains; its aspects should be neither violently hot nor intensely cold, but temperate in both respects"
About this Quote
The sentence works because it smuggles moral and political order inside technical advice. “High ground” is practical (drainage, visibility, defense), but it also encodes hierarchy and control: the well-sited city literally rises above the unhealthy lowlands. The insistence on temperance - not “violently hot” or “intensely cold” - echoes Roman ideals of moderation, turning climate into character. A balanced environment is meant to yield balanced people, and balanced people sustain stable institutions.
It’s also a reminder that infrastructure begins with ecology. Vitruvius is not dreaming up utopia; he’s professionalizing common sense into doctrine, aimed at founders and rulers who wanted durable colonies and legible power. The walls are the headline, but the real project is longevity: design the site so the city can outlast its builders.
Quote Details
| Topic | Wisdom |
|---|---|
| Source | Vitruvius (Marcus Vitruvius Pollio), De architectura (Ten Books on Architecture), Book I — discussion on site selection and the laying out of city walls (classical Roman architectural treatise). |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Pollio, Marcus V. (2026, January 17). In setting out the walls of a city the choice of a healthy situation is of the first importance: it should be on high ground, neither subject to fogs nor rains; its aspects should be neither violently hot nor intensely cold, but temperate in both respects. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-setting-out-the-walls-of-a-city-the-choice-of-76998/
Chicago Style
Pollio, Marcus V. "In setting out the walls of a city the choice of a healthy situation is of the first importance: it should be on high ground, neither subject to fogs nor rains; its aspects should be neither violently hot nor intensely cold, but temperate in both respects." FixQuotes. January 17, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-setting-out-the-walls-of-a-city-the-choice-of-76998/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"In setting out the walls of a city the choice of a healthy situation is of the first importance: it should be on high ground, neither subject to fogs nor rains; its aspects should be neither violently hot nor intensely cold, but temperate in both respects." FixQuotes, 17 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/in-setting-out-the-walls-of-a-city-the-choice-of-76998/. Accessed 13 Feb. 2026.
