Literary notes about Exercise (AI summary)
The term "exercise" in literature carries a rich spectrum of meanings, ranging from the literal engagement of bodily activity to the figurative implementation of power, judgment, or intellect. In historical and rhetorical contexts, it is often employed to denote the act of using one's authority or discretion, as seen when judges apply their "illiterate discretion" in [1] or when divine power is "exercised" over people in [2]. Meanwhile, in philosophical and educational texts, the word conveys the cultivation and active use of mental faculties—whether exercising the pure understanding in [3] or engaging in a thinking exercise noted for its pedagogical value in [4]. Additionally, the term appears in contexts emphasizing physical well-being, from the robust bodily exercise mentioned in [5] and [6] to the practices that ensure health and endurance in [7]. This versatility in usage reflects a deliberate choice by authors to illustrate action, authority, and effort across both the corporeal and intellectual realms.
- Books could not easily be found; and the judges, poor in the midst of riches, were reduced to the exercise of their illiterate discretion.
— from The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire by Edward Gibbon - .Viz., to be his judge; and to exercise a divine power, as God's instrument, over him and his people.
— from The Bible, Douay-Rheims, Complete - In this case the exercise of the pure understanding becomes dialectical.
— from The Critique of Pure Reason by Immanuel Kant - To read a book, to think it over, and to write out notes is a useful exercise; a book which will not repay some hard thought is not worth publishing.
— from Maria Mitchell: Life, Letters, and Journals by Maria Mitchell - For a long time, though studying and working patiently, I had accustomed myself to robust exercise.
— from David Copperfield by Charles Dickens - He likes beer, and smokes moderately, takes walking exercise daily, and has a healthily high estimate of the value of his teaching.
— from The Country of the Blind, and Other Stories by H. G. Wells - Nearly all the instances of long life are to be found among the men who have taken most exercise, who have endured fatigue and labour.
— from Emile by Jean-Jacques Rousseau
