I would have to say my favourite is the very 1st one from Confucius.
By all means let me know yours and I would like to add to the list so e-mail with any quotes that I can add related to running.
| Quotation | Source |
|---|---|
| "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step." | Confucius |
| "When you win say nothing,When you lose say less" | Paul Brown |
| "While a man is racing he must hate himself and his competitors" | Paul Cerutty (Australian Athletics Coach trained John Landy and Herb Elliott to name two).. |
| "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 one to rely on but yourself. There's no better feeling than that." | Adam Goucher American Cross Country & Track Athelete |
| "Sport is not about being wrapped up in cotton wool. Sport as about adapting to the unexpected and being able to modify plans at the last minute. Sport, like all life, is about taking risks." | Sir Roger Bannister |
| "If the hill has its own name, then it's probably a pretty tough hill." | Marty Stern Athletics Coach |
| "I always loved running...it was something you could do by yourself, and under your own power. You could go in any direction, fast or slow as you wanted, fighting the wind if you felt like it, seeking out new sights just on the strength of your feet and the courage of your lungs." | Jesse Owens Winner of 4 gold medals at 1936 Olympics |
| "Hills are speedwork in disguise." | Frank Shorter 1972 Olympic Marathon Gold Medal Winner |
| "It's at the borders of pain and suffering that the men are separated from the boys." | Emil Zatopek 1952 Olympic Marathon Gold Medal Winner |
| "Run like hell and get the agony over with." | Clarence DeMar Boston Marathon Winner |
| "The mile has all the elements of a drama." | Sir Roger Bannister |
| "The woods are lovely dark and deep, but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep, and miles to go before I sleep." | Robert Frost |
| "No one can say, 'You must not run faster than this, or jump higher than that.' The human spirit is indomitable." | Sir Roger Bannister |
| "I've always felt that long, slow distance produces long, slow runners." | Sebastian Coe |
| "You find out by trial and error what the optimal level of training is. If I found I was training too hard, I would drop it back for a day or two. I didn't run for five days before the sub-four-minute mile." | Sir Roger Bannister |
| "Mind is everything: muscle - pieces of rubber. All that I am, I am because of my mind." | Paavo Nurmi the flying finn winner of more olympic medals (12) than any track & field athlete in history. |
| "Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge." | David Bedford London Marathon race Director |
| "We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run a marathon." | Emil Zatopek 1952 Olympic Marathon Gold Medal Winner |
| "To describe the agony of a marathon to someone who's never run it is like trying to explain color to someone who was born blind." | Jerome Drayton Canadian Marathon Runner |
| "The will to win is nothing without the will to prepare" | Juma Ikangaa Tanzanian Marathon Runner |
| "I never put limits on myself" | Michael Johnson World Record Holder 200 & 400 metres |
| "Get up and walk if you have to, but finish the damned race" | Ron Hill |
| "My race of glory run,and race of shame, And I shall shortly be with them that rest" | Milton |
| "For him (Keynes) the short run was much more significant than the long run - that long run in which as he used to say we are all dead" | Keynes |
| "We swing unguarded hips and lightened our eyes The rain is on our lips we do not run for prize" | Sorley |
