We’ve compiled the best running quotes for the runners out there, including motivational running fitness quotes, inspiring quotes for runners, plus some funny running quotes to make you laugh. These words of encouragement might just help you run the best race of your life.
Running Quotes For Motivation
- “I don’t run to add days to my life, I run to add life to my days.” — Ronald Rook
- “In running, it doesn’t matter whether you come in first, in the middle of the pack, or last. You can say, ‘I have finished.’ There is a lot of satisfaction in that.” — Fred Lebow, New York City Marathon co-founder
- “One run can change your day, many runs can change your life.” — Unknown
- “Running is the greatest metaphor for life, because you get out of it what you put into it.” — Oprah Winfrey
- “We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” — Aristotle
- “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 without your phone and computer. I’ve started to crave and enjoy that time alone.” — Christy Turlington
- “Every marathon I ran, I knew I had a faster one in me.” — Dick Beardsley
- “I really love going places without a map. When I went running in Paris, I headed for a monument or a statue that I could see off in the distance. To get back where I started, I simply used the GPS on my phone.” — Brooklyn Decker
- “Running is the quickest endorphin hit I can get. I like to do it really early in the morning, before everyone gets up. It gives me a clear head and sort of resets the clock. It’s like, ‘OK, I got that out of the way. Now I can deal with people.’” — Julie Bowen
- “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
- “Exercise is like meditation for me. And I’m giving myself that time . . . I cannot live without it now. When you have such a good workout, it clears everything up mentally, physically, and you just have a better day.” — Minka Kelly
- “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
- “[Working out] really did make me feel better and kind of saved me. It gave me a bit of sanity . . . I’m serious about my exercise. I don’t just doodle around. I see people at the gym talking on their cell phones. If they think their bodies are really going to change . . . I mean, you’ve got to put in the effort!” — LeAnn Rimes
- “I love running but I think you have to find a workout routine that really speaks to you beyond trying to get goals for your body. For me, running, I need it as much for my head and to clear my head as I do for keeping in shape.” — Meghan Markle
- “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
- “I’ve always enjoyed exercise, especially outside, but I always assumed you needed to be a bit more of a fitness fan to go running. A few years or two ago when a friend suggested I give it a go and now I’m hooked! I still love Nordic walking and Pilates, but running is a new addition to my exercise routine and I’m so pleased to have found it.” — Liz Earle
- “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
- “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
- “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
- “Running has been my main form of exercise. I’ve been running five or six days a week. I love it.” —Natalie Coughlin
- “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
- “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, ‘Okay, here we go!’ Your corral starts off and you start running, and I guess the adrenaline kind of gets you going, and you’re literally off to the races; you’re fine." — Al Roker
- “Running is the basis of all the training that I do…it’s like an escape.” — Ellie Goulding
- “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 better and getting better at it." — Jon Hamm
- “Fast running isn’t forced. You have to relax and let the run come out of you.” — Desiree Linden
- “To me, sweat is workout bliss.” — Brooke Burke-Charvet
- “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
Best Running Quotes
- “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
- “The miracle isn’t that I finished. The miracle is that I had the courage to start.” — John Bingham, No Need for Speed: A Beginner’s Guide to the Joy of Running
- “Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must, just never give up.”— Dean Karnazes
- “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
- “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
- “I am 100 percent convinced that working out is part of what makes me so happy.” — Jennifer Lopez
- “Running is great for your body. It will increase your energy levels and helps you to clear your mind.” — Heidi Klum
- “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
- “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, The Spice Girls
- “All great achievements require time.” — Maya Angelou
- “I feel like when I am running, it not only helps change me physically, it also improves my state of mind.” — Derek Hough
- “I love the way that it 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
- “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
- “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
- “Running is something you can do and be alone in your thoughts, and I like that." — Carole Radziwill
- “Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running.” — Julie Isphording
- “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
- “Don’t dream of winning, train for it!” — Mo Farah
- “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.
- “The only failure is not to try." — George Clooney
- “Be so good they can’t ignore you.” — Steve Martin
- “If the sun comes up, I have a chance.” — Venus Williams
- “Strength does not come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will.” — Mahatma Gandhi
- “If you have a body, you are an athlete.” — Bill Bowerman
- “I’ve failed over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” — Michael Jordan
- “Quality is much better than quantity. One home run is much better than two doubles.” — Steve Jobs
- “Everyone in life is looking for a certain rush. Racing is where I get mine.” — John Trautmann
- “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
- “For me, working out is a form of therapy, it’s cathartic for me, it’s a good stress reliever. I know that when I go to the gym I am taking care of myself and I know I’ll feel so much better afterwards.” — Bob Harper
- “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. For me, exercise equals happiness.” — Heather Morris
- “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
- “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.
- “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
- “Exercise is so amazing from the inside out. I feel so alive and have so much energy.” — Vanessa Hudgens
- “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
- “As we run, we become.” — Amby Burfoot
- “Things that hurt, instruct.” — Benjamin Franklin
- “Go fast enough to get there, but slow enough to see.” — Jimmy Buffett
- “Running is the classical road to self-consciousness, self-awareness, and self-reliance.” — Noel Carroll
- “Runners just do it – they run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first.” — Unknown
- “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
- “Just stick with it. What seems hard now will one day be your warm-up” — Unknown
Funny Running Quotes
- “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’m most nervous about everybody making fun of the way I run’ Lawrence said, ‘I do, like, karate hands. Instead of running with my hands closed together like a normal person. It’s like I’m trying to be aerodynamic or something, so my hands are straight like razors.’” — Jennifer Lawrence
- “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
- “Running a marathon is not a question of whether it will be painful, but when it will be painful. It does help to have a sense of humor, but I’m also respectful of the race.” — Will Ferrell
- “I choose the things that I want to do, and they all revolve around one thing: food. Even my running has to do with food. I run to stay in shape so I can eat what I want.” — Bobby Flay
- “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
- “How do you know if someone ran a marathon? Don’t worry, they’ll tell you.” — Jimmy Fallon
- “I love running cross country. On a track, I feel like a hamster.” — Robin Williams
- “A good laugh and a long run are the two best cures for anything.” — Unknown
- “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
- “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
- “Don’t be a jogger, they’re the one’s who find dead bodies." — Amanda Brooks
- “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
- “I’ve got 99 problems, so I went on a run to ignore them all.” — Unknown
- “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 running up and down a street.” – Neil Armstrong
- “We can’t all be heroes because someone has to sit on the curb and clap as they go by.” — Will Rogers
- “Good things come slow – especially in distance running.” — Bill Dellinger
- “There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner.” — Dean Karnazes
- “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
- “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 doing something wrong.”— Mark Remy
- “I go running when I have to. When the ice cream truck is doing sixty.” — Wendy Liebman
- “Step one to running a marathon: You run. There is no step two.” — Barney Stinson
- “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
- “Running is a lot like life. Only 10 percent of it is exciting. 90 percent of it is slog and drudge.” — Dave Bedford
- “Run like hell and get the agony over with.” — Clarence DeMar
- “Most people run a race to see who is fastest. I run a race to see who has the most guts.” — Steve Prefontaine
- “Unless you puke, faint, or die, keep going!” — Jillian Michaels
- “If you still look cute after working out, you didn’t go hard enough.” — Unknown
- “Whoever established the high road and how high it should be should be fired." — Sandra Bullock Up Next, 20 Best Workout Apps: The Best Free and Paid Workout Apps for Your Fitness Goals
