Some people have a very strong relationship with running, as it’s one of the most important aspects of life.
However, sometimes getting up and going for a run may not be the easiest thing in the world, especially if you’re suffering from a bad day where you just want to give it all up.
Whether it’s the weather, your workplace stress, or anything, reading the right running quote can magically fix a lot of things in your mind.
For that reason, we’ve compiled a list of 100 running quotes about life to help you stay motivated and get back on track. Let’s jump right in!
100 Running Quotes About Life
- “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “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
- I hated every minute of training, but I said, ”Don’t quit. Suffer now and live the rest of your life as a champion.” — Muhammad Ali
- “I like what it does for my mind. If I’ve had a bad day, if I’m feeling stressed out, if I’m feeling overwhelmed — it takes it all away. It’s my antidote for everything. If I feel any sort of emotional upheaval, I go for a jog and I feel better.” — Kelly Ripa
- “I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.” — Ronald Rook
- “One run can change your day, many runs can change your life.” — Unknown
- “I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails, put one foot in front of the other, and come to the same conclusion I did: I run because it always takes me where I want to go.” — Dean Karnazes
- “The Hopis consider running a form of prayer; they offer every step as a sacrifice to a loved one, and in return ask the Great Spirit to match their strength with some of his own.” — Christopher McDougall
- “Running has always been a relief and a sanctuary—something that makes me feel good, both physically and mentally. For me, it’s not so much about the health benefits. Those are great, but I believe that the best thing about running is the joy it brings to life.” — Kara Goucher, American long distance runner
- “We run when we’re scared, we run when we’re ecstatic, we run away from our problems and run around for a good time.” ― Christopher McDougall
- “If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.” — Priscilla Welch
- “Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine.” — John Trautmann
- “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up.” — Dean Karnazes
- “Run like hell and get the agony over with.” — Clarence DeMar
- “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” — John Bingham
- “No matter how old I get, the race remains one of life’s most rewarding experiences.” — George Sheehan
- “Runners just do it, they run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first.” — Unknown
- “The thing about Pre is that he ran as hard as he could every race, and if you were going to beat him, you were going to have to run harder than he did.” Bob Kennedy
- “It’s no fun to sit down and talk about what exercise has to do with life… go drip that sweat, run until we’re fatigued, to where the mind can’t ponder the past or the future, well, then you’ve got something… It’s fun to feel healthy, and it’s fun to feel good.” — Matthew McConaughey
- “If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.” — Kathrine Switzer
- “Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived.” ― Dean Karnazes
- “If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for twenty years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.” — John Bingham
- “If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.” — Christopher McDougall
- “If we had a drug that did what exercise did, it would be the biggest revolution ever and would be promoted all over the world. And all you have to do is go out for a run.” — Greg Wells, Ph.D.
- “It’s an acquired skill, being able to discuss your love life, children, and friends, all while you’re running! But we have mastered it.” — Reese Witherspoon
- “Experience has taught me how important it is to just keep going, focusing on running fast and relaxed. Eventually pain passes and the flow returns. It’s part of racing.” — Frank Shorter
- “Things that hurt, instruct.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other, but to be with each other.” — Christopher McDougall
- “If you can’t fly then run, if you can’t run then walk, if you can’t walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward.” — Martin Luther King, Jr.
- “It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of running and in the journey, not in the destination.” — John Bingham
- “I run because if I didn’t, I’d be sluggish and glum and spend too much time on the couch. I run to breathe the fresh air. I run to explore. I run to escape the ordinary. I run to savor the trip along the way. Life becomes a little more vibrant, a little more intense. I like that.” ― Dean Karnazes
- Nothing lifts me out of a bad mood better than a hard workout on my treadmill. It never fails. To us, exercise is nothing short of a miracle.” — Cher
- “Why race? The need to be tested, perhaps; the need to take risks; and the chance to be number one.” — George Sheehan
- “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
- “I started running to escape the memories that drinking couldn’t cover up” ― Dean Karnazes
- “Good things come slow, especially in distance running.” ― Bill Dellinger
- “Trail running is better when you discover on your own rather than follow other people.” ― Unknown
- “A runner must run with dreams in his heart.” ― Emil Zatopek
- “A lot of people run a race to see who’s the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.” ― Steve Prefontaine
- “I’ve run the Boston Marathon 6 times before. I think the best aspects of the marathon are the beautiful changes of the scenery along the route and the warmth of the people’s support. I feel happier every time I enter this marathon.” ― Haruki Murakami
- “The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life.” ― George Sheehan
- “The advice I have for beginners is the same philosophy that I have for runners of all levels of experience and ability: consistency, a sane approach, moderation, and making your running an enjoyable, rather than dreaded, part of your life.” — Bill Rodgers
- “Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.” — Julie Isphording
- “It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.” ― Emil Zatopek
- “The Boston Marathon is a race that has captured my heart from day one. The road from Hopkinton to Boston is technical, challenging and deserves to be respected — it’s a place where true racers thrive.” ― Des Linden Boston Marathon winner
- “I’m always nervous. If I wasn’t nervous, it would be weird. I get the same feeling at all the big races. It’s part of the routine, and I accept it. It means I’m there and I’m ready.” — Allyson Felix
- “Running is great for your body. It will increase your energy levels and helps you to clear your mind.” — Heidi Klum
- “We all have dreams. But in order to make dreams come into reality, it takes an awful lot of determination, dedication, self-discipline, and effort.” — Jesse Owens
- “There’s not one body type that equates to success. Accept the body you have and be the best you can be with it.” — Mary Cullen
- “It makes me feel like I can conquer anything that comes at me. I’m never tapped out. I’m never tired around my two kids. I owe a lot of that to running.” — Travis Barker
- “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” — Bill Bowerman
- “Of all the sports I’ve tried, some have come and gone but running has always been there for me. It’s the simplest of things to do: shove your trainers on and just go.” — Mel C
- “It does not matter how slowly you go so long as you do not stop.” — Confucius
- “This is the hardest thing I’ve ever put my body through, but for me, running is a mental game. I’ve learned that if I can convince myself to just keep putting one foot in front of the other, then I can run as far as I want to.” — Chip Gaines
- “Just keep moving. Someone said this to me a long time ago. It’s a Buddhist saying, I think: ‘There is no wasted effort.’” — Lauren Graham
- “Running is kind of like coffee. The first time you drink it you might not like it. It’s bitter and leaves a bad taste in your mouth but you kind of like the way it makes you feel. However, after a few times, it starts to taste better and then all of a sudden you’re hooked and it’s the new best part of waking up.” — Amy Hastings
- “There are times when I feel lazy and just want to stay in bed all day, but I know that working out is the best way to get those endorphins going, which will make me feel better emotionally and physically.” — Heather Locklear
- “Run! Life’s too short to walk. Unless you don’t know where you’re running to, then move very slowly.” ― Neil A. Hogan
- “I am 100 percent convinced that working out is part of what makes me so happy.” — Jennifer Lopez
- “Running is like music. It requires rhythm and focus. It requires dedication. It requires a dogged ability to shut out everything else. The herd is strung out below me, keeping time with the thump and slap of their cross-trainers. I hold the sound in my head and subtract cars, trucks, motorcycles, voices until it’s nothing but a song.” ― Brenna Yovanoff
- “Running is my alone time. I have people around me all the time, all day. The only time I have alone is when I’m running, or when I’m at church. Running’s easier to fit in.” — Mario Lopez
- “Running has been my main form of exercise. I’ve been running five or six days a week. I love it.” — Natalie Coughlin
- “I woke up on my birthday and said, ‘I want to run 10 miles.’ I just wanted to see if I could run double-digit mileage.” — Sterling K. Brown
- “There’s a great empowerment that I get from running, not only from the endorphins . . . Being a runner, to me, has made being depressed impossible. If ever I’m going through something emotional and just go outside for a run, you can rest assured that I’ll come back with clarity and empowerment.” — Alanis Morissette
- “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” — Mahatma Gandhi
- “I never listen to music when I run – I listen to the beat of my heart. I like to feel the blood pumping in my veins. If I’m running for a long time, I take my hydration pack. I like to disappear up a mountain or into the woods and come back two hours later.” — Fred Sirieux
- “It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect. It’s easy to understand how people replace addiction with exercise.” — Eminem
- “Running is the basis of all the training that I do, it’s like an escape.” — Ellie Goulding
- “I love the way that running makes my body feel and it’s just my time for myself where I can get out there and think and let my mind go.” — Laila Ali
- “Quality is much better than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” — Steve Jobs
- “Just running the streets was absolutely everything and more than I possibly expected.” — Jennie Finch
- “Something happens to me when I run. People think it’s crazy when I say it. All of my ideas come in when I run. That is my time where it’s just me, where I get to create.” — Theo Rossi
- “Get going … walk if you have to, but finish the damned race.” — Ron Hill
- “It’s amazing how the same pace in practice can feel so much harder than on race day. Stay confident. Trust the process.” — Sara Hall
- “That’s what running does to lives. It’s not just exercise. It’s not just achievement. It’s a daily discipline that has nothing to do with speed, weight, social status, sexual orientation, political affiliation, where you live, what car you drive, or whether anyone anywhere loves you. It’s about the slow and painful process of being the best you can be.” — Martin Dugard
- “Running is a form of practiced stoicism. It means teaching your brain and body to be biochemically comfortable in a state of disrepair.” ― Matthew Inman
- “Nothing, not even pain, lasts forever. If I can just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I will eventually get to the end.” — Kim Cowart
- “When you experience the run, you…relive the hunt. Running is about thirty miles of chasing prey that can outrun you in a sprint, and tracking it down and bringing life back to your village. It’s a beautiful thing.” — Shawn Found
- “Running! If there’s any activity happier, more exhilarating, more nourishing to the imagination, I can’t think of what it might be. In running the mind flees with the body, the mysterious efflorescence of language seems to pulse in the brain, in rhythm with our feet and the swinging of our arms.” — Joyce Carol Oates
- “Running is a big question mark that’s there each and every day. It asks you, “Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?” — Peter Maher
- “If you want to run, then run a mile. If you want to experience another life, run a marathon.” — Emil Zatopek
- “We runners are all a little nutty, but we’re good people who just want to enjoy our healthy, primitive challenge. Others may not understand running, but we do, and we cherish it. That’s our only message.” — John J. Kelley
- “The human spirit is indomitable. No one can ever say you must not run faster than this or jump higher than that. There will never be a time when the human spirit will not be able to better existing records.” — Sir Roger Bannister
- “Running away from someone you love is a race you will never win.” — Matshona Dhliwayo
- “The five S’s of sports training are: Stamina, Speed, Strength, Skill, and Spirit; but the greatest of these is Spirit.” — Ken Doherty
- “Different people have different reasons for racing, but one is simply the incentive to get out and run, increase mileage and feel good.” — Hal Higdon
- “What I’ve learned from running is that the time to push hard is when you’re hurting like crazy and you want to give up. Success is often just around the corner.” — James Dyson
- “Life equals running and when we stop running maybe that’s how we’ll know life is finally finished.” — Patrick Ness
- “Running is something you can do and be alone in your thoughts, and I like that.” — Carole Radziwill
- “I’m always nervous. If I wasn’t nervous, it would be weird. I get the same feeling at all the big races. It’s part of the routine, and I accept it. It means I’m there and I’m ready.” — Allyson Felix
- “If I continue to set goals and accomplish those goals, that means I’m doing something right.” — Kevin Hart
- “I’m all about breaking mental boundaries, and training for a marathon falls right into the Jedi mind-training I need.” — Alicia Keys
- “Every race proves a new opportunity to educate myself about what it means to be a runner and what it means to run.” ― Jill Grunenwald
- “The body does not want you to do this. As you run, it tells you to stop but the mind must be strong. You always go too far for your body. You must handle the pain with strategy…It is not age; it is not diet. It is the will to succeed.” ― Jacqueline Gareau
- “Few men during their lifetime come anywhere near exhausting the resources dwelling within them. There are deep wells of strength that are never used.” ― Richard E. Byrd
- “Workouts are like brushing my teeth; I don’t think about them, I just do them. The decision has already been made.” ― Patti Sue Plumer
- “I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met a fake runner.” ― Bart Yasso
- “Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness, and self-reliance.” — Noel Carroll
- “Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” — T. S. Elliot
- “Being defeated is often a temporary condition. Giving up is what makes it permanent.” — Marilyn Vos Savant
Final Thoughts On 100 Running Quotes About Life
There you have it! A brief compilation with some of the best running inspirational quotes about life to keep you motivated while training.