Out there on the roads, trails or track, runners learn a lot about themselves and get plenty of life lessons. Get inspired with these running quotes about life.
1.”When you have the running spirit, you look forward to life. I firmly believe that I wouldn’t have lived as long or as happily as I have without running.”
–Max Popper in The Essential Runner
2. “I run because it’s so symbolic of life. You have to drive yourself to overcome the obstacles. You might feel that you can’t. But then you find your inner strength, and realize you’re capable of so much more than you thought.”
–Arthur Blank
3. “The answer to the big questions in running is the same as the answer to the big questions in life: do the best with what you’ve got.”
–Unknown
4. “Struggling and suffering are the essence of a life worth living. If you’re not pushing yourself beyond the comfort zone, if you’re not demanding more from yourself — expanding and learning as you go – you’re choosing a numb existence. You’re denying yourself an extraordinary trip.”
– Dean Karnazes, ultra-marathoner and author
5. “As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are.”
– Joan Benoit Samuelson, Olympic gold medalist in women’s marathon
6. “Life is often compared to a marathon, but I think it is more like being a sprinter; long stretches of hard work punctuated by brief moments in which we are given the opportunity to perform at our best.”
–Michael Johnson, U.S. Olympic sprinter and gold medalist
7. “Like the marathon, life can sometimes be difficult, challenging and present obstacles, however if you believe in your dreams and never ever give up, things will turn out for the best.”
–Meb Keflezighi, U.S. Olympic marathoner
8. “One of the first lessons running teaches us about success in athletics and in life is that there is no one else. No one else can do your workouts for you. You alone must do the drills… You cannot hire someone else to do your cross-training when you are battling injury, or pay someone to run a race and get you a new PR. You are truly your own hero in running. It is up to you to have the responsibility and self-discipline to get the job done.”
–Adam Goucher, U.S. Olympic distance runner
9. “So much in life seems inflexible and unchangeable, and part of the joy of running and especially racing is the realization that improvement and progress can be achieved.”
–Nancy Anderson, running coach
10. “In short, running can change your outlook on life and make a new person out of you.”
–Marc Bloom, running author
11. “Running gives freedom. When you run you can determine your own tempo. You can choose your own course and think whatever you want. Nobody tells you what to do.”
–Nina Kuscik, women’s running pioneer
12. “Running has taught me, perhaps more than anything else, that there’s no reason to fear starting lines…or other new beginnings.”
–Amby Burfoot, 1968 Boston Marathon winner
13. “That’s the thing about running: your greatest runs are rarely measured by racing success. They are moments in time when running allows you to see how wonderful your life is.”
–Kara Goucher, U.S. Olympic marathoner
14. “Life (and running) is not all about time but about our experiences along the way.”
–Jen Rhines, U.S. Olympic distance runner
15. “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.”
–Oprah Winfrey
16. “Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived.”
–Dean Karnazes
17. “Life is a positive-sum game. Everyone from the gold medalist to the last finisher can rejoice in a personal victory.”
–George Sheehan, running author
18. “There is more to failing than picking yourself up out of the dust, brushing off the grime and trudging onward. For every defeat, there is a victory inside waiting to be let out if the runner can get past feeling sorry for himself.”
–Ron Daws, The Self-Made Olympian
19. “The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life.”
–George Sheehan
20. “In many ways, a race is analogous to life itself. Once it is over, it cannot be re-created. All that is left are impressions in the heart, and in the mind.”
–Chris Lear, in Running with the Buffaloes
21. “Every time we go out and race we defy what our body says we should do. Our body screams at us to stop, yet we keep going. We endure and conquer every pain, every doubt that we have. If we apply that same mentality to life, we can overcome any obstacle.”
–Kellyn Taylor, American long-distance runner
22. “Running taught me valuable lessons. In cross-country competition, training counted more than intrinsic ability, and I could compensate for a lack of natural aptitude with diligence and discipline. I applied this in everything I did.”
–Nelson Mandela, former president of South Africa
23. “I have learned that there is no failure in running, or in life, as long as you keep moving.”
–Amby Burfoot
24. “Running is like celebrating your soul. There’s so much it can teach us in life.”
-Molly Barker, founder of Girls on the Run
25. “I run, therefore I am. And given the years improved fitness adds to our lives, if I did not run, maybe I would no longer be.”
-Hal Higdon, running coach and writer
26. “There’s not a better feeling than when you have found that moment of balance and harmony when both running and life come together. Then you know why you run and that you couldn’t live without it.”
–Joan Benoit
27. “Life can pull you down, but running always lifts you up.”
–Jenny Hadfield, running coach
28. “I love the feeling of movement. But I also love the sweat, the routine and the lifestyle. Running makes my whole life better. I sleep, eat, and think better. Sometimes it’s difficult, but the progress and end-feeling make it all worthwhile.”
–Meb Keflezighi
29. “Taking charge of your body can help you take charge of your life. And that power can help you go wherever you want to go, every single day.”
–Cheryl Bridges Treworgy, member of five U.S. World Cross Country teams
