A man's feet should be planted in his country, but his eyes should survey the world.

Santayana contrasts rootedness with intellectual cosmopolitanism. The “feet” planted in one’s country suggest loyalty, practical responsibility, and a lived participation in a particular community and tradition. The “eyes” surveying the world urges breadth of mind: learning from other cultures, judging one’s own nation with perspective, and resisting parochialism. The line encapsulates a recurring Santayanan stance—skeptical of narrow nationalism yet also wary of abstract, placeless idealism—arguing for a balance between local belonging and global understanding.