Whether you’re a seasoned runner or just starting out, everyone can use a little motivation to keep going. Check out these running quotes for some inspiration to help you get through your next run.
There’s something about a good quote that inspire us to keep going. When we’re feeling low, or doubting ourselves, a simple phrase can give us the motivation to keep on keeping on.
And what better way to get motivated for a run than by reading some inspirational running quotes? We’ve compiled a list of some of our favourite running quotes to get you pumped up for your next run.

I love controlling a race, chewing up an opponent. Let’s get down and dirty. Let’s fight it out. It’s raw, animalistic, with no oneAdam GoucherU.S. Nationals 5k race champion

I love the marathon … It’s a challenge, and if you don’t like challenges, something is wrong with your life.Abdi AbdirahmanAmerican long-distance runner

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 GoucherU.S. Nationals 5k race champion

A run begins the moment you forget you are runningAdidasMultinational german sports clothing corporation

It’s rude to count people as you pass them. Out loud.AdidasMultinational german sports clothing corporation

I remember looking at the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge and thinking, ‘What have I signed up for here?’ It’s one of those things where you’re like,Al Roker

I had as many doubts as anyone else. Standing on the starting line, we’re all cowards.Alberto SalazarRunner and coach

There’s a great empowerment that I get from running, not only from the endorphins . . . Being a runner, to me, has madeAlanis MorissetteSinger, songwriter and actress

Some people train knowing they’re not working as hard as other people. I can’t fathom how they think.Alberto SalazarRunner and coach

I’m all about breaking mental boundaries, and training for a marathon falls right into the Jedi mind-training I need.Alicia KeysAmerican singer, songwriter, and pianist

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 ofAllyson FelixOlympic gold and silver medalist

Don’t be a jogger, they’re the one’s who find dead bodies.Amanda Brooks

If you train your mind for running, everything else will be easy.Amby BurfootAmerican marathon runner

As we run, we become.Amby BurfootAmerican marathon runner

Winning has nothing to do with racing. Most days don’t have races anyway. Winning is about struggle and effort and optimism, and never, ever,Amby BurfootAmerican marathon runner

Running is kind of like a coffee. The first time you drink it you might not like it. It’s bitter and leaves a badAmy Hastings

We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.Aristotle

We must wake up to the fact that athletics is not, nor ever can be perfected; there will always be more to learn.Arthur NewtonLegendary long-distance runner

I’m not telling you it’s going to be easy… I’m telling you it’s going to be worth it.Art Williams

I often hear someone say I’m not a real runner. We are all runners, some just run faster than others. I never met aBart YassoRunner’s world’s chief running officer

Step one to running a marathon: You run. There is no step two.Barney Stinson

Never limit where running can take you. I mean that geographically, spiritually, and of course, physicallyBart YassoRunner’s world’s chief running officer

Things that hurt, instruct.Benjamin Franklin

The real purpose of running isn’t to win a race. It’s to test the limits of the human heart.Bill BowermanCo-founder of nike

If you have a body, you are an athlete.Bill BowermanCo-founder of nike

There’s no such thing as bad weather, just soft people.Bill BowermanCo-founder of nike

Good things come slow, especially in distance running.Bill DellingerAmerican middle-distance runner

You can’t flirt with the track, you must marry it.Bill EastonTrack coach

A change of pace in terms of your running pace will give you strength psychologicallyBill RodgersFour-time boston marathon winner

Good health, peace of mind, being outdoors, camaraderie: those are all wonderful things that come to you when running. But for me, the realBill RodgersFour-time boston marathon winner

I often lose motivation, but it’s something I accept as normal.Bill RodgersFour-time boston marathon winner

My whole feeling in terms of racing is that you have to be very bold. You sometimes have to be aggressive and gamble.Bill RodgersFour-time boston marathon winner

The marathon can humble you.Bill RodgersFour-time boston marathon winner

To be a consistent winner means preparing not just one day, one month, or even one year — but for a lifetime.Bill RodgersFour-time boston marathon winner

The long run puts the tiger in the cat.Bill SquiresTrack and field coach

God has given me the ability. The rest is up to me. Believe. Believe. Believe.Billy MillsOlympic gold medalist

Your goal is simple: Finish. Experience your first race, don’t race it.Bob GloverAuthor of the runner's handbook

For me, working out is a form of therapy, its cathartic for me, it’s a good stress reliever. I know that when I goBob Harper

Running is alone time that lets my brain unspool the tangles that build up over daysBob Hneisen

The thing about Pre is that he ran as hard as he could every race, and if you were going to beat him, youBob KennedyAmerican distance runner

I choose the things that I want to do, and they all revolve around one thing: food. Even my running has to do withBobby Flay

Success is to be measured not so much by the position that one has reached in life as by the obstacles which he hasBooker T. Washington

To me, sweat is workout bliss.Brooke Burke-Charvet

It is true that speed kills. In distance running, it kills anyone who does not have it.Brooks JohnsonSprinter

I really love going places without a map. When I went running in Paris, I headed for a monument or a statue that IBrooklyn Decker

My thoughts before a big race are usually pretty simple. I tell myself: “Get out of the blocks, run your race, stay relaxed. IfCarl LewisNine-time olympic gold champion

Second place is not a defeat. It is a stimulation to get better. It makes you even more determinedCarlos LopesRetired portuguese long-distance runner, gold medallist at 1984 olympics

Running is something you can do and be alone in your thoughts, and I like that.Carole Radziwill

Jogging is very beneficial. It’s good for your legs and your feet. It’s also very good for the ground. It makes it feel needed.Charles M. Schultz

Nothing lifts me out of a bad mood better than a hard workout on my treadmill. It never fails. To us, exercise is nothingCher

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 IChip Gaines

Blaming the running injury epidemic on big, bad Nike seems too easy – but that’s okay, because it’s largely their fault.Christopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

Don’t fight the trail, take what it gives you. If you have a choice between one step or two between rocks, take three.Christopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning inChristopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.Christopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

If you don’t think you were born to run you’re not only denying history. You’re denying who you are.Christopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

If you don’t have answers to your problems after a four-hour run, you ain’t getting them.Christopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

The Hopis consider running a form of prayer; they offer every step as a sacrifice to a loved one, and in return ask theChristopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

The reason we race isn’t so much to beat each other,… but to be with each other.Christopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

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 McDougallAmerican author and journalist

You ran to eat and to avoid being eaten; you ran to find a mate and impress her, and with her you ran offChristopher McDougallAmerican author and journalist

I always run without music. Being disconnected is what I’m addicted to more than anything. There aren’t many places where you can be withoutChristy Turlington

Run like hell and get the agony over with.Clarence DeMarAmercan marathon runner

The man who moves a mountain begins by carrying away small stones.Confucius

Gold medals aren’t really made of gold. They’re made of sweat, determination, and a hard-to-find alloy called gutsDan GableAmerican former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach

I would never tell anybody I ran an 8-hour marathonDan PenaBillionaire, business coach, ultra-marathoner

I disagree. I look at struggle as an opportunity to grow. True struggle happens when you can sense what is not working for youDanny DreyerCreator of ChiRunning and ChiWalking

Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge.Dave Bedford

How to run an ultramarathon ? Puff out your chest, put one foot in front of the other, and don’t stop till you crossDean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

Coming back to running after a few weeks off is really tough. It’s humbling. Nothing wrong with a large dose of humility.Davina McCall

I run because long after my footprints fade away, maybe I will have inspired a few to reject the easy path, hit the trails,Dean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

I started running to escape the memories that drinking couldn’t cover upDean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give upDean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

Running is about finding your inner peace, and so is a life well lived.Dean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

Some seek the comfort of their therapist’s office, other head to the corner pub and dive into a pint, but I chose running asDean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

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 demandingDean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner.Dean KarnazesAmerican ultra-marathoner

The beauty of running is its simplicity; the beauty of runners is that we all have a similar drive to improve. We are eitherDeena KastorAmerican long-distance runner

We all know that if you run, you are pretty much choosing a life of success because of itDeena KastorAmerican long-distance runner

I feel like when I am running, it not only helps change me physically, it also improves my state of mind.Derek Hough

Be confident in the work you did to prepare for the race. Take a look back at your training logs to remind yourself thatDesiree LindenAmerican long-distance runner

Fast running isn’t forced. You have to relax and let the run come out of you.Desiree LindenAmerican long-distance runner

When you cross the finish line, no matter how slow or fast, it will change your life forever.Dick BeardsleyAmerican long-distance runner

Every marathon I ran, I knew I had a faster one in me.Dick BeardsleyAmerican long-distance runner

Runners don’t do drugs, they make their own … naturally.E. Neil CulbertsonRunner

You must do the thing you think you cannot do.Eleanor Roosevelt

Running is the basis of all the training that I do…it’s like an escape.Ellie GouldingEnglish singer and songwriter

A runner must run with dreams in his heart.Emil ZatopekLong-distance runner, 3 time olympic gold medalist

If you want to run, then run a mile. If you want to experience another life, run a marathon.Emil ZatopekLong-distance runner, 3 time olympic gold medalist

If you want to win something run 100 meters. If you want to experience something run a marathon.Emil ZatopekLong-distance runner, 3 time olympic gold medalist

It’s at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys.Emil ZatopekLong-distance runner, 3 time olympic gold medalist

It gave me a natural endorphin high, but it also helped me sleep, so it was perfect. It’s easy to understand how people replaceEminem

The trouble with jogging is that, by the time you realize you’re not in shape for it, it’s too far to walk back.Franklin P. Jones

If it doesn’t challenge you, it won’t change you.Fred DeVito

I never listen to music when I run – I listen to the beat of my heart. I like to feel the blood pumpingFred Sirieux

The best runner leaves no tracks.from Tao Te Ching

There are many challenges to long-distance running, but one of the greatest is the question of where to put one’s house keys.Gabrielle Zevin

The only failure is not to try.George Clooney

If we had a drug that did what exercise did, it would be the biggest revolution ever and would be promoted all over theGreg Wells

All I do is keep on running in my own cozy, homemade void, my own nostalgic silence. And this is a pretty wonderful thing.Haruki MurakamiJapanese writer and runner

Pain is inevitable. Suffering is optional.Haruki MurakamiJapanese writer and runner

The thoughts that occur to me while I’m running are like clouds in the sky. Clouds of all different sizes. They come and theyHaruki MurakamiJapanese writer and runner

There are times when I feel lazy and just want to stay in bed all day, but I know that working out is theHeather Locklear

When I’m working 16-hour days and I can’t work out, I get angry very easily. It’s because I’m missing all those good endorphins. ForHeather Morris

The pain of running relieves the pain of living.Jacqueline Simon Gunn

Just running the streets was absolutely everything and more than I possibly expected.Jennie Finch

I run every day. It’s like medicine.Jennifer Carpenter

I am 100 percent convinced that working out is part of what makes me so happy.Jennifer LopezAmerican singer, actress, and dancer

Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going!Jillian Michaels

Children run everywhere for a reason – it’s fun. Grown-ups can forget that sometimes.Jim Butcher

Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.Jimmy Buffett

As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle andJoan Benoit Samuelson

No marathon gets easier later. The halfway point only marks the end of the beginning.Joe Henderson

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 dayJohn BinghamAmerican marathon runner and author

It was being a runner that mattered, not how fast or how far I could run. The joy was in the act of runningJohn BinghamAmerican marathon runner and author

The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.John BinghamAmerican marathon runner and author

My feeling is that any day I am too busy to run is a day that I am too busy.John Bryant

Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine.John Trautmann

Don’t be afraid to fail. It’s not the end of the world and in many ways it’s the first step toward learning something betterJon Hamm

Running is the quickest endorphin hit I can get. I like to do it really early in the morning, before everyone gets up. ItJulie Bowen

Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.Julie Isphording

Never underestimate the power that one good workout can have on your mind. Keeping the dream alive is half the battle.Kara GoucherAmerican long-distance runner

Running allows me to set my mind free. Nothing seems impossible. Nothing unattainable.Kara GoucherAmerican long-distance runner

Running has always been a relief and a sanctuary – something that makes me feel good, both physically and mentally. For me it’s notKara GoucherAmerican long-distance runner

Running became the one event in my daily life that I looked forward to. Books and movies paled in comparison to the refuge ofKate Kinsey

Don’t fear moving slowly forward…fear standing still.Kathleen Harris

If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.Kathrine Switzer

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 –Kelly Ripa

If I continue to set goals and accomplish those goals, that means I’m doing something right.Kevin Hart

Nothing, not even pain, lasts forever. If I can just keep putting one foot in front of the other, I will eventually get toKim Cowart

There is something magical about running; after a certain distance, it transcends the body. Then a bit further, it transcends the mind. A bitKristin Armstrong

I love the way that it makes my body feel and it’s just my time for myself where I can get out there andLaila Ali

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

[Working out] really did make me feel better and kind of saved me. It gave me a bit of sanity . . . I’mLeAnn RimesSinger, songwriter and actress

You would run much slower if you were dragging something behind you, like a knapsack or a sheriff.Lemony Snicket

Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.Mahatma Gandhi

Running is in my blood – the adrenaline flows before the races, the love/hate of butterflies in your stomach.Marcus O’Sullivan

Running is my alone time. I have people around me all the time, all day. The only time I have alone is when I’mMario Lopez

If you’ve never had a bad day running, you’re probably doing something wrong. If you’ve never had a good day running, you’re definitely doingMark Remy

Running is the movement of a free human being. It doesn’t demand any special premises or machines. You only need to put on yourMarkus Torgeby

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 haveMartin Luther King, Jr.

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

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

I love running but I think you have to find a work out routine that really speaks to you beyond trying to get goalsMeghan Markle

My doctor told me that jogging could add years to my life. I think he was right. I feel ten years older already.Milton Berle

Exercise is like meditation for me. And I’m giving myself that time . . . I cannot live without it now. When you haveMinka Kelly

Don’t dream of winning, train for it!Mo FarahBritish long-distance runner

Running has been my main form of exercise. I’ve been running five or six days a week. I love it.Natalie Coughlin

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 believe that the Good Lord gave us a finite number of heartbeats and I’m damned if I’m going to use up mine runningNeil Armstrong

Someone who is busier than you is running right now.Nike

There are clubs you can’t belong to, neighbors you can’t live in, schools you can’t get into, but the roads are always open.Nike

Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness, and self-reliance.Noel Carroll

Life equals running and when we stop running maybe that’s how we’ll know life is finally finished.Patrick Ness

Ask yourself: Can I give more? The answer is usually: Yes.Paul TergatLong distance runner

When it’s pouring rain and you’re bowling along through the wet, there’s satisfaction in knowing you’re out there and the others aren’t.Peter Snell

If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you canPriscialla Welch

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

I like trails more than roads. I’ve jumped over my share of rattlesnakes. I’ve seen mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats, skunks, hawks.Reggie Miller

Long distance running is 90 percent mental and the other half is physical.Rich Davis

It started to become what I looked forward to most; it was the only time I got to be in my own head.Rob Riggle

Those who never run long distance or meditate in their lifetimes, miss out on the best free drugs the planet has to offer.Robert Black

I love running cross country. On a track, I feel like a hamster.Robin Williams

I’ve learned that it’s what you do with the miles, rather than how many you’ve runRod DeHaven

I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.Ronald Rook

I am a running joke. Waking up at 4:30 am and jogging anywhere from 11 to 23 miles has been nothing short of horrifying.Ryan Reynolds

Whoever established the high road and how high it should be should be fired.Sandra BullockAmerican actress and producer

It’s amazing how the same pace in practice can feel so much harder than on race day. Stay confident. Trust the process.Sara HallAmerican long-distance runner

Two joggers passed, shoes cheerfully slapping against the pavement.Sara Shepard

Remember, the feeling you get from a good run is far better than the feeling you get from sitting around wishing you were running.Sarah Condor

I woke up on my birthday and said, ‘I want to run 10 miles.’ I just wanted to see if I could run double-digitSterling K. Brown

Quality is much better than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.Steve Jobs

Be so good they can’t ignore you.Steve Martin

A lot of people run a race to see who’s the fastest. I run to see who has the most guts.Steve PrefontaineAmerican long-distance runner

Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.Steve PrefontaineAmerican long-distance runner

You cannot propel yourself forward by patting yourself on the back.Steve PrefontaineAmerican long-distance runner

Only those who risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.T.S. Elliot

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.Theo Rossi

Once you’re beat mentally, you might as well not even go to the starting line.Todd Williams

Running is therapy anyone can afford.Toni Sorenson

When you run, the road belongs to you.Toni Sorenson

Your body is made to move so move it.Toni Sorenson

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.Travis Barker

You can alter mood by running.Tumpal Sihombing

After all, if you run far enough, no one can catch you.V.E. Schwab

Exercise is so amazing from the inside out. I feel so alive and have so much energy.Vanessa Hudgens

If the sun comes up, I have a chance.Venus Williams

I go running when I have to. When the ice cream truck is doing sixty.Wendy Liebman

Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful. It does help to haveWill FerrellAmerican actor, comedian, and producer

We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.Will Rogers

There is an itch in runners.Arnold HanoAmerican editor, novelist, biographer and journalist

For me, races are the celebration of my training.Dan BrowneNational champion 5k and 20k runner

When you think that you are done, you’re only 40% into what your body’s capable of doing. That’s just the limit that we putDavid GogginsRetired navy seal veteran, ultramarathoner, ultra-triathlete

When you put yourself on the line in a race and expose yourself to the unknown, you learn things about yourself that are veryDoris Brown HeritageWomen's distance running pioneer

Running is a road to self-awareness and reliance-you can push yourself to extremes and learn the harsh reality of your physical and mental limitationsDoris Brown HeritageWomen's distance running pioneer

Success rests in having the courage and endurance, and above all, the will to become the person you areDr George SheehanRunning author
