Fitness Race Training 24 Motivational Quotes for Runners to Inspire Your Next Run These are the best short running quotes to use as motivation to crush your next run. By Mirel Zaman Mirel Zaman Mirel Zaman is the former senior health and features editor for Shape Magazine. She has 12 years of experience covering health, wellness, and culture topics. Shape's editorial guidelines Updated on November 18, 2022 Share Tweet Pin Email If you lose your momentum part of the way through a run, keep reading and get ready for some major motivation. These are the best inspirational running quotes to help get you moving and keep you fueled through your next long run. These double as the best short running quotes, so you could even choose one to use as a mantra on your way to the finish line. Lace up your running sneaks and read on. 13 Benefits of Running That Make You Healthier and Happier 01 of 24 Train, Train, Train "Don't dream of winning, train for it!" –Mo Farah, Olympic long-distance runner 02 of 24 The Cheapest Form of Therapy "Running is alone time that lets my brain unspool the tangles that build up over days...I run, pound it out on the pavement, channel that energy into my legs, and when I'm done with my run, I'm done with it." –Rob Haneisen, runner I Cry When I Run — and If You Don't, You're Honestly Missing Out 03 of 24 Do It for Those Who Can't "I run because I can. When I get tired, I remember those who can't run, what they would give to have this simple gift I take for granted, and I run harder for them. I know they would do the same for me." –Unknown 04 of 24 Impossible Is Nothing "Running allows me to set my mind free. Nothing seems impossible. Nothing unattainable." –Kara Goucher, Olympic long-distance runner How Far Do You Need to Run to Score Its Health Benefits? 05 of 24 That Post-Run High "I think I get addicted to the feelings associated with the end of a long run. I love feeling empty, clean, worn out, and sweat-purged. I love that good ache of the muscles that have done me proud." –Kristin Armstrong, author of Mile Markers 06 of 24 Live, Laugh, Run a Lot "A good laugh and a long run are the two best cures for anything." –Unknown 07 of 24 The Real Enemy "It's very hard at the beginning to understand that the whole idea is not to beat the other runners. Eventually, you learn that the competition is against the little voice inside you that wants you to quit." –George Sheehan, M.D., author of Going the Distance Everything You Need to Know About Marathon Training for Beginners 08 of 24 Don't Overthink It "Act like a horse. Be dumb. Just run." –Jumbo Elliot, former Villanova University track and field coach 09 of 24 Look for the Light "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, runner and journalist 10 of 24 Back to the Beginning "You have to wonder at times what you're doing out there. Over the years, I've given myself a thousand reasons to keep running, but it always comes back to where it started. It comes down to self-satisfaction and a sense of achievement." –Steve Prefontaine, international track star How Tempo Running Can Make You a Faster, More Efficient Runner 11 of 24 Run for Fun "Run often. Run long. But never outrun your joy of running." –Julie Isphording, former Olympic runner 12 of 24 All About the Big Picture "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 13 of 24 Mountains to Molehills "What seems hard now will one day be your warm-up." –Unknown What Is a Fartlek Run? 14 of 24 Running Is the Answer "On your good days, run hard. On your bad days, run as long as you need." –Unknown 15 of 24 Just Keep Going "Run when you can, walk if you have to, crawl if you must; just never give up." —Dean Karnazes, ultramarathon runner and author 16 of 24 Chase Your Potential "The obsession with running is really an obsession with the potential for more and more life." –George Sheehan, M.D. How to Determine Your Running Gait — and Why It Matters 17 of 24 Embrace the Identity "If you want to change your body, exercise. If you want to change your life, become a runner." –Unknown 18 of 24 No Mud, No Lotus "There is magic in misery. Just ask any runner." –Dean Karnazes 19 of 24 Run In the Present, for Your Future "There will come a day when I can no longer run. Today is not that day." –Unknown 13 Running Tips for Beginners or Anyone Getting Back Into a Cardio Routine 20 of 24 Don't Look Back "It's just as important to remember that each footstrike carries you forward, not backward. And every time you put on your running shoes you are different in some way than you were the day before. This is all good news." –John Bingham, marathon runner 21 of 24 No Shortcuts "What was the secret, they wanted to know; in a thousand different ways they wanted to know The Secret. And not one of them was prepared, truly prepared, to believe that it had not so much to do with chemicals and zippy mental tricks as with that most unprofound and sometimes heart-rending process of removing, molecule by molecule, the very tough rubber that comprised the bottoms of his training shoes. The Trial of Miles, Miles of Trials. How could they be expected to understand that?" –John L. Parker, Jr., author of Once a Runner 22 of 24 Heart-Strong, Not Headstrong "The real purpose of running isn't to win a race. It's to test the limits of the human heart." –Bill Bowerman, track and field coach and co-founder of Nike, Inc. Which Is Better: Running Faster vs. Running Longer? 23 of 24 It's All a Magic Trick "Our running shoes have magic in them. The power to transform a bad day into a good day; frustration into speed; self-doubt into confidence; chocolate cake into muscle." –Mina Samuels, author of Run Like a Girl 24 of 24 Can't Stop, Won't Stop "I don't stop when I'm tired, I stop when I'm done." –Unknown Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit