Marathon Inspirational Quotes

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Life’s a marathon, not a sprint.
Phillip C. McGraw
But I also realize that winning doesn't always mean getting first place; it means getting the best out of yourself.
Meb Keflezighi (Run to Overcome: The Inspiring Story of an American Champion's Long-Distance Quest to Achieve a Big Dream)
Crossing the starting line may be an act of courage, but crossing the finish line is an act of faith. Faith is what kepes us going when nothing else will. Faith is the emotion that will give you victory over your past, the demons in your soul, & all of those voices that tell you what you can & cannot do & can & cannot be.
John Bingham
Awakening to faith is not a one-time event, but a continuously unfolding reality. The journey of faith is not a race, but a marathon of love that each person walks at a different pace.
A. Helwa (Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam)
Long Distance training can be a positive & constructive form of selfishness. After all, once you're at the starting line, you're there by yourself. No one can run a single step for you. No one can jump in & help you. No one but you can make the decisions about what to do to keep going. It's all up to you.
John Bingham
I saw many people who begun their marathon races lately, but they eventually came up as top winners. I believe that your "lateness" does not account for your "lastness". It's not too late for you to make a start... Begin it now! No further delays!
Israelmore Ayivor (The Great Hand Book of Quotes)
A novel takes the courage of a marathon runner, and as long as you have to run, you might as well be a winning marathon runner. Serendipity and blind faith faith in yourself won't hurt a thing. All the bastards in the world will snicker and sneer because they haven't the talent to zip up their flies by themselves. To hell with them, particularly the critics. Stand in there, son, no matter how badly you are battered and hurt.
Leon Uris (Mitla Pass)
In the marathon of life, there is no finish line.
Bill Courtney (Against the Grain: A Coach's Wisdom on Character, Faith, Family, and Love)
Each of us has our definition of adventure: ending an unsatisfying relationship, returning to school, parachute jumping or training for a marathon. Go ahead. Get your thrill on.
Gina Greenlee (Postcards and Pearls: Life Lessons from Solo Moments on the Road)
Not just starting marathons but actually finishing them...(no matter how long it takes) will always lead to making a better you.
Timothy Pina
I knew how to block out my issues in a sprint, but in marathons I ran out of gas. Consistency became a critical problem. On days that I was inspired, I was unstoppable. But other days I would play bad chess. The time had come for me to learn the science of long-term, healthy, self-sustaining peak performance.
Josh Waitzkin (The Art of Learning: An Inner Journey to Optimal Performance)
But most of all I was inspired by the stirring examples of all the other runners. In some pictures they would seem like tiny dots in a mosaic, but each had a separate narrative starting a few months or a lifetime earlier and finishing that day in the New York City Marathon, the race with 37,000 stories.
Mark Sutcliffe
Like all living things, you were created for unlimited growth and possibilities. Keep growing. Keep changing. Be everything you were meant to be.
Eleanor Brownn (Mile 9: The true story of a lifelong couch potato who one day made a decision that changed everything)
The pain of running relieves the pain of living.
Jacqueline Simon Gunn
You’ve climbed too many mountains and crossed too many rivers to stop and turn back now.
Eleanor Brownn (Mile 9: The true story of a lifelong couch potato who one day made a decision that changed everything)
As your training integrates Mind, Body and Spirit, enjoy the process. Your journey to the marathon finish will last a few hours. Your journey to the start will influence a lifetime.
Gina Greenlee (The Whole Person Guide to Your First Marathon: A Mind Body Spirit Companion)
Chúng ta hay có xu hướng bám lấy những người siêu phàm, những người được cho rằng một tay thay đổi thế giới, mà bỏ qua câu chuyện của những kẻ người trần mắt thịt như chính bản thân chúng ta, những người lê lết đau đớn ở cuối đoàn marathon, những người như em Ruby. Chúng ta bị thu hút bởi những người xuất chúng và nổi tiếng, chúng ta dễ rơi vào tâm lý chờ đợi, phó thác. "Cái thể chế này nó thế!," Chúng ta nói, và khoanh tay chờ đợi. Chúng ta đợi một Lý Quang Diệu mới xuất hiện để bộ máy công quyền trơn tru hơn, đợi một Mẹ Theresia mới để lòng tử tế nảy nở trong cộng đồng, đợi một Martin Luther King mới để sự bình đẳng được lan truyền trong xã hội
Đặng Hoàng Giang (Bức Xúc Không Làm Ta Vô Can)
Of all the animals that fly, some are like floating flowers (butterflies), some are songbirds that are full of gulp (swallows), and some are swimming birds that also run marathons (ducks). When I compose music to be performed live in an elevator, those are my inspirations.
Jarod Kintz (Music is fluid, and my saxophone overflows when my ducks slosh in the sounds I make in elevators.)
Small steps add up to complete big journeys.
Matshona Dhliwayo
Amen.
Ida Tyree Hyche (Bar Studies Inspiration: Daily Christian Devotions for Bar Marathon from Start to Finish)
Growing a company is a marathon that requires patience, dedication, knowledge, good decision-making, vision, and the ability to see the big picture.
Ziad K. Abdelnour (StartUp Saboteurs: How Incompetence, Ego, and Small Thinking Prevent True Wealth Creation)
Life is like a marathon, when it's over you're out of breath.
Alana Delgado
Perfecting your character isn’t a marathon, a race, or a competition. It can only be won in stride with daily motivation.
Orly Wahba (Kindness Boomerang: How to Save the World (and Yourself) Through 365 Daily Acts)
If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon. If you want to talk to God, run an ultra.
Dean Karnazes (The Road to Sparta: Reliving the Ancient Battle and Epic Run That Inspired the World's Greatest Footrace)
The act of running is simple, one foot in front of the other. The art of becoming a runner is achieved through a new mindset and commitment to change, especially if it’s new to you. It’s tough, challenging, painful, sometimes lonely, regularly uncomfortable and often excruciating…but the rewards are second to none.
Terry Lander (Fat Guy Runs A Marathon)
It's been said that the Ironman marathon is the place where you meet yourself - inner voices that never existed before suddenly roar, weaknesses neglected in training become painfully clear, and new reserves of strength manifest in awe-inspiring ways. I met myself at mile 10. And let me tell you: I'm a real asshole.
Susan Lacke (Life's Too Short to Go So F*cking Slow: Lessons from an Epic Friendship That Went the Distance)
The Existentially Preoccupied Long Distance Runner Sometimes I like to run so hard and for so long with each mile I can feel the pain of my own awareness, my own heightened consciousness of what ails me, the ills of the world, the limitations of our existence, the losses we must endure, the superficial interactions. Sometimes I like to run so hard and for so long that I can feel all of these feelings seep out of the pours of my own skin, the sweat cleansing my very being, my awareness of beauty heightened, the experience of joy possible, each mile, each minute, ridding me of these feelings, washing away the illusions, showing me the truth. Sometimes I like to run so hard and for so long… until finally I feel free… until finally I AM free…
Jacqueline Simon Gunn
We’re not born running up mountains. Most of us don’t even figure out we’re capable of such a feat until later in life. Along the way, we make a lot of mistakes. Some of us even hit rock bottom. And then we pick ourselves up, dust off the dirt, and start climbing — sometimes literally. Running is a transformative experience in mind, body and spirit for so many. It helps us face inner demons and shush the naysayers — especially when those naysayers are ourselves.
Susan Lacke (Running Outside the Comfort Zone: An Explorer's Guide to the Edges of Running)
These solo concerts were without precedent, not only in jazz history, but also in the entire history of the piano. They were not renditions of composed music committed to memory, nor were they a series of variations on composed themes. They were attempts at very long stretches (up to an hour at a time) of total improvisation, the creation from scratch of everything: rhythms, themes, structures, harmonic sequences and textures. Before a concert, Jarrett would try to empty himself of all preconceived ideas, and then allow the music to flow through and out of him. He said that if he was not able to empty himself he would, almost invariably, have a concert that was not as good. There might be periods when he seemed to be marking time but and feeling his way into a new area, but this was also part of the total experience which delighted and enthralled audiences. The sustained intensity of Jarrett’s inspiration during these marathons was literally awesome and, almost in the sense of preacher and congregation, he seemed to want the audiences to be not only witnesses but also participators on the occasion...
Ian Carr (Keith Jarrett: The Man And His Music)
The six-hundred-page Encyclopedia of Jihad is also widely available online and includes chapters such as “How to Kill,” “Explosive Devices,” “Manufacturing Detonators,” and “Assassination with Mines.” In a striking example of how dangerous such online education can be, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, the terrorist suspect arrested for his role in the April 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, admitted to authorities he and his brother learned how to make the pressure-cooker bomb used in the attack after reading step-by-step instructions published in al-Qaeda’s online magazine, Inspire, in an article titled “Make a Bomb in the Kitchen of Your Mom.
Marc Goodman (Future Crimes)
Marathon In 490 B.C., a Greek messenger named Pheidippides ran twenty-six miles, from Marathon to Athens, to bring the senate news of a battle. He died from exhaustion, but his memory lives on thanks to the “marathon,” a twenty-six-mile footrace named in his honor. I thought it would be neat to bring Pheidippides to a modern-day marathon and talk to him about his awesome legacy.   ME: So, Pheidippides: What was it like to run the first “marathon”? PHEIDIPPIDES: It was the worst experience of my life. ME: How did it come about? PHEIDIPPIDES: My general gave the order. I begged him, “Please, don’t make me do this.” But he hardened his heart and told me, “You must.” And so I ran the distance, and it caused my death. ME: How did you feel when you finally reached your destination? PHEIDIPPIDES: I was already on the brink of death when I entered the senate hall. I could actually feel my life slipping away. So I recited my simple message, and then, with my final breath, I prayed to the gods that no human being, be he Greek or Persian, would ever again have to experience so horrible an ordeal. ME: Hey, here come the runners! Wooooh! PHEIDIPPIDES: Who are these people? Where are they going? ME: From one end of New York to the other. It’s a twenty-six-mile distance. Sound familiar? PHEIDIPPIDES: What message do they carry…and to whom? ME: Oh, they’re not messengers. PHEIDIPPIDES: But then…who has forced them to do this? ME: No one. It’s like, you know, a way of testing yourself. PHEIDIPPIDES: But surely, a general or king has said to them, “You must do this. Do this or you will be killed.” ME: No, they just signed up. Hey, look at that old guy with the beard! Pretty inspiring, huh? Still shuffling around after all these years. PHEIDIPPIDES: We must rescue that man. We must save his life. ME: Oh, he knows what he’s doing. He probably runs this thing every year. PHEIDIPPIDES: Is he…under a curse? ME: No.
Simon Rich (Free-Range Chickens)
The term "good girl" is a reward slapped onto women who do not pose a threat to the status quo. If it makes you feel nice to be called a "good girl", I want you to sit down and think hard. The women who stood up and voted when it was illegal for them to do so, when it was a "sin" for them to vote, were not "good girls". They were the bad girls. The women who ran in marathons disguised as men when women were an abomination to sports, were not "good girls". They were the bad girls. The first female pilot, the first female engineer, the first ever woman who wore red lipstick. All bad girls. Sit down and think hard. If you want to receive rewards from people for falling into their lines, then move out of the way for the women who blaze paths that you will one day walk on.
C. JoyBell C.
I was visiting Marcus and his wife when a friend asked if she could talk to me alone. Teresa was the spouse of a Team member who’d served with Chris. We hadn’t spent a lot of time together, but we’d always had a connection. “I have something I want to give you,” she said. “I don’t know if it’s going to seem corny to you or what, but I kind of want to do it for me.” She pressed a medal into my hand. I looked at it--it was the medal she’d received for completing the Boston Marathon. “You and Chris kept me going,” she explained. “It was almost eerie how, when my legs were tired and I wanted to quit, Randy Travis’s song came on the iPod. It was the one he played at the memorial. My iPod was on random shuffle but it was always at just the right moment. I would hear that song and it would spur me on.” Maybe Chris was somehow behind that. People have told me of other inspirational incidents; each one, from simple to grand, has touched me with its beauty.
Taya Kyle (American Wife: Love, War, Faith, and Renewal)
That legend—and it is more legend than historical fact—inspired a race in 1896 at the first modern Olympic Games over approximately the same route. Only 17 runners participated in that first race. In 2010, 20,000 runners appeared for the 2,500th anniversary celebration.
Hal Higdon (Marathon, All-New 4th Edition: The Ultimate Training Guide: Advice, Plans, and Programs for Half and Full Marathons)
In the marathon of life negativity is never as light-footed as a dreamer's sprint.
Bryant McGill (Simple Reminders: Inspiration for Living Your Best Life)
Workaholism’ is endemic, and for many of us our life is governed entirely by work. Once upon a time, we worked to live; now, we live to work. Any ‘life’ we do have is merely recovery from work. We work, recover from work and then work again. We go to the office to work. After work, we bring some work home with us. For rest, we go to the gym for a workout. Totally exhausted, we go to therapy to work through our problems – ’I’ve done a lot of work on myself,’ we say. After all that, there’s the housework! Finally, we go to bed, too tired to be happy, but our mind is still working and we can’t sleep. No problem. Insomnia is a wonderful chance to get more work done! The work ethic is motivated by the belief that anything worthwhile requires great work, effort and labour. According to the work ethic – creativity isn’t inspiration, it’s perspiration; love is a labour, not a joy; success is a marathon, it never comes easily; health is about a ‘no pain, no gain’ attitude; salvation is hardest of all – it is a wrestling match with the angels, just ask Jacob. Nothing comes easily, according to the work ethic. Has it ever occurred to you that ... you’re trying too hard to be happy?
Robert Holden (Happiness Now!: Timeless Wisdom for Feeling Good Fast)
The satisfaction I feel from finishing another story is tantamount to, say, crossing the finish line for the career marathoner.
Susan Wingate (The Deer Effect)
I was on a path, and I became determined to give it everything I had — no matter what.
Eleanor Brownn (Mile 9: The true story of a lifelong couch potato who one day made a decision that changed everything)
In my experience, creative people discover and realize their visions over time and through dedicated, protracted struggle. In that way, creativity is more like a marathon than a sprint. You have to pace yourself.
Ed Catmull (Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration)
When nothing but the best outcome is acceptable, disappointment is almost assured, reducing happiness on the journey and at journey’s end.
Ida Tyree Hyche (Bar Studies Inspiration: Daily Christian Devotions for Bar Marathon from Start to Finish)
Perfectionism impedes success. It encourages procrastination and inactivity for fear of failure, likely leading to anxiety.
Ida Tyree Hyche (Bar Studies Inspiration: Daily Christian Devotions for Bar Marathon from Start to Finish)
What’s at the core of your desire to run a marathon? Couple this journey with value beyond miles. The meaning you ascribe to your effort crystalizes your motivation and fuels your commitment to stay the course and go the distance.
Gina Greenlee (The Whole Person Guide to Your First Marathon: A Mind Body Spirit Companion)
But such a person also has that annoying voice in the back of her head constantly reminding her that merely "coasting by" in life isn't an accomplishment.
Dawn Dais (The Nonrunner's Marathon Guide for Women: Get Off Your Butt and On with Your Training)
Inflation by Maisie Aletha Smikle Inflation is like a vampire Persistently sucking life from purchasing power Forcing purchasing power to expire And dwindle like pieces of eroded wire Inflation is like a parasite Infecting goods and services With all its might Stirring up fright and causing a fight Escalation and Appreciation Have permanently replace Deflation Pushing up Valuation to get more Taxation Even with full Depreciation Whether demand goes up Or whether demand goes down Prices spiral up like a dreaded tornado And prices remain up like floating cirrus clouds Prices never return To where they started Prices are like wandering nomads Always moving and never settling Inflation Inflation Inflation Controllable by all nations Is running repetitive marathons Around every nation Forcing purchasing power into extinction Causing deflation abandonment Shoving deflation into exile To retire for a very long while
Maisie Aletha Smikle
body and its response to pain. For example, "The pain is the reality, but your mind can inspire you past it," and "when other people get tired, they stop. I don't. I take over my body with my mind, I tell it that it's not tired and it listens.
Stephen Morley (Too Old to Ultra: When a marathon is just not enough)
Meanwhile, in Boston, Running While Female was literally a crime: any woman who dared attempt the Boston Marathon in the 1960s was subject to arrest by the cops or, if your dad was in charge, a beating. “If that girl were my daughter, I would spank her,” race director Will Cloney famously snarled after Kathrine Switzer finagled her way onto the course in 1967.
Christopher McDougall (Running with Sherman: How a Rescue Donkey Inspired a Rag-tag Gang of Runners to Enter the Craziest Race in America)
I told Coach, ‘You know, I realize we’ve been working hard for this, but the medal almost doesn’t matter anymore because I feel like you all have elevated me in such a way that I never could have duplicated that.’ The reinforcement of the journey is so valuable, not just the prize or medal hanging around your neck. And we had such a special time pursuing that together. -- Denna Kastor, 2004 Olympic bronze medalist in the marathon
Pat Melgares (Chasing Excellence: The Remarkable Life and Inspiring Vigilosophy of Coach Joe I. Vigil)
Only small men are incapable of seeing something greater than themselves
Christian Cameron (Marathon: Freedom or Death (Long War, #2))
writing a book is like running on a marathon, writing quotes is just like going out to the park
Manuel Corazzari
The journey of faith is not a race, but a marathon of love that each person walks at a different pace. Although each person’s experience of God is unique to them, in writing this book I felt guided to share my story with you, as a testimony that God’s love and mercy has the power to change every heart it touches.
A. Helwa (Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam (Inspirational Islamic Books Book 2))
the Airpocalypse didn’t inspire China to change its environmental tune. Beijing refuses to abide by any international agreement that might force it to prioritize environmentally responsible, long-term sustainable growth.
Michael Pillsbury (The Hundred-Year Marathon: China's Secret Strategy to Replace America as the Global Superpower)
When I had been at sea, she felt so close, yet now living full time on land in our bed she couldn’t have been any more distant than the summit of Mauna Kea from the sea mountain. I longed for this woman beside me, like a first-time marathoner desires the finish line. I could envision the big picture; I saw us as old people holding hands and watching our children graduate from college. I was mentally prepared for the hardest of miles. In my mind, none of our problems were more than a mere hang-up in a lifetime commitment to something bigger than ourselves. Schooled by the sea, I feared not hard work, less than perfect conditions, or the hands of time. Accepting the temperamental nature of the sea and women, I expected this storm to pass as the others had before. She would toss and turn, relentlessly complaining about summer heat in our room, yet no number of blankets could warm me from her wintery chill. I had been over a thousand miles out to sea before, but after the accident, my side of the bed became the loneliest place I ever visited on the planet.
Kenton Geer (Vicious Cycle: Whiskey, Women, and Water)
These solo concerts were without precedent, not only in jazz history, but also in the entire history of the piano. They were not renditions of composed music committed to memory, nor were they a series of variations on composed themes. They were attempts at very long stretches (up to an hour at a time) of total improvisation, the creation from scratch of everything: rhythms, themes, structures, harmonic sequences and textures. Before a concert, Jarrett would try to empty himself of all preconceived ideas, and then allow the music to flow through and out of him. He said that if he was not able to empty himself he would, almost invariably, have a concert that was not as good. There might be periods when he seemed to be marking time but and feeling his way into a new area, but this was also part of the total experience which delighted and enthralled audiences. The sustained intensity of Jarrett’s inspiration during these marathons was literally awesome and, almost in the sense of preacher and congregation, he seemed to want the audiences to be not only witnesses but also participators on the occasion…
Ian Carr (Keith Jarrett: The Man And His Music)
Creative people discover and realize their visions over time and through dedicated, protracted struggle.” In that way, creativity is more like a marathon than a sprint.
Ed Catmull (Creativity, Inc.: Overcoming the Unseen Forces That Stand in the Way of True Inspiration)
Yes, it's rap and its hip hop," said Peniche, "but if you were to put it into its own genre, it's Marathon Music. From 2010 forward, that was kind of the philosophy or the mindset that we had, like, 'We're gonna create Marathon Music'...music that not only inspires but educates.
Rob Kenner (The Marathon Don't Stop: The Life and Times of Nipsey Hussle)
Marathon not start on the road,it starts by margining, strategies, dreaming about it then hit the road.
Nozipho N.Maphumulo
Trying doesn't end although it seems like time ran out and you think about there's no need to activate your body hold time by doing it will help your heart to join marathon of heathy living.
Nozipho N.Maphumulo
Life is like a marathon and obstacles are simply roadblocks in the way of the finish line.
B.H. Preston
Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic Marathon champion and one of the inspirations for the American running boom of the 1970s, was well-known for doing a lot of his training slowly. “My simple, basic theory involves running very easily—at what I call conversational pace—75–90 percent of the time,” Shorter wrote in his book Olympic Gold: A Runner’s Life and Times (1984).
Hiroaki Tanaka (Slow Jogging: Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, and Have Fun with Science-Based, Natural Running)
Life is marathon, not a sprint. It is a race we are all guaranteed to finish, so run wisely.
James North
The goal of this book is do for you what Greg did for me: reframe 26.2 miles as accessible and inspire your first marathon journey, one mile at a time.
Gina Greenlee (Postcards and Pearls: Life Lessons from Solo Moments on the Road)
If running a marathon excites you, create space in your life for it. Adding a new commitment means recalibrating different areas of your world. Logging more miles as your race date approaches means less time invested in other pursuits. Not forever, just during the months you train. Too, you will find how training fits into your world serves not only crossing the finish but other areas of life.
Gina Greenlee (The Whole Person Guide to Your First Marathon: A Mind Body Spirit Companion)
I dare you to…” He pauses, and I want him to say it. I want him to want a kiss, because I realize I’d do it so fast it’d make his head spin. “I dare you to do your happy dance,” he says instead. “Happy dance?” “Come on, everyone has a happy dance.” “But… I have to be extremely happy to do a happy dance. It’s not something I can just, you know, jump into.” “How about I give you some inspiration.” He pulls his phone out of his pocket and presses a few buttons. A song with an upbeat keyboard begins, and Logan stands up. The happy lyrics say something about a birdhouse and a bee. He waves his hand at me to follow. Bouncing on the balls of his feet, he looks at me expectantly. I stand up to face him and try to sway a little. He shakes his head as he turns the volume up. “I just can’t, I’m not happy enough.” “Pretend like the Natchitoches Central Chiefs just won the Super Bowl.” He bounces a little more enthusiastically. “That’s good, I guess.” My sway becomes a little more pronounced. A smile takes hold, not because of the thought of the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl, but because Logan is such an awkward dancer. He’s gone from bouncing to alternating snaps of his fingers as he bobs his head. Plus, he’s a little off rhythm. “There’s a Tangled marathon on in two minutes!” He has to yell over the music now. “That’s better.” I start nodding my head to the beat. “It’s Christmas! You just got your Hogwarts acceptance letter, a copy ofAction Comics #1, and a brand new car that runs on water!” “Hell yeah!” I scream and let go.
Leah Rae Miller (The Summer I Became a Nerd (Nerd, #1))
Some people have a perpetual problem. They always have a sad song. If you allow them, they’ll use you as a trash can to dump all their garbage in. You spend an hour with them and you feel like you’ve run a marathon. They’re energy suckers. You leave them feeling drained and worn out. You cannot continue to deal with them day after day if you expect to reach your highest potential. You won’t lift off. You won’t thrust forward into the good things God has in store if you’re weighted down, letting people dump their loads on you. They’ll make you discouraged and drain your energy. It’s hard enough just to keep yourself cheered up. You’re not responsible for their happiness. Sure, there are times when we need to sow a seed and have a listening ear and take time to love people back into wholeness. But that should be for a season and not an ongoing drama. You shouldn’t spend every day listening to friends complain about their spouses or their neighbors. If you do, your life will be like an episode of Guiding Light, Jersey Shore, and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills all put together. You have enough drama in your life without listening to everyone else’s drama. You can’t allow someone to put that negativity in you day after day if you expect to soar. You need to evaluate the people you’re spending time with. Are they lifters and encouragers? Do they make you feel better? Do you leave their company feeling inspired and happier, or are they dragging you down, making you feel drained, and sapping your energy?
Joel Osteen (You Can You Will: 8 Undeniable Qualities of a Winner)
Don’t get disheartened a mile into a marathon.
Rasheed Ogunlaru
Although making decisions by testing God with fleeces is generally a bad idea, sometimes it can look similar to setting reasonable goals. For example, suppose you are considering running a marathon. But you decide that you won’t sign up for the 26.2 mile race unless you first lose fifteen pounds and finish a half-marathon. In a way this sounds like laying out a fleece, but it is really just prudence and good goal setting. Humble goals and loosely held plans are good. Expecting God to do tricks for us is bad. Don’t pray: “God, if You want me to go out on this date, then make my professors cancel all their assignments for the weekend. If You don’t do that, I’ll just tell Josh that it wasn’t the Lord’s will that we go out.” The whole fleece approach to life is dangerously close to violating Jesus’ admonition, “You shall not put the Lord your God to the test” (Matthew 4:7). Now, I know Gideon asked God for some special dew. But there are good reasons to think Gideon’s request is not a normative example. For starters, Gideon didn’t have a Bible. More than likely, he didn’t have a single page of God’s inspired Word of his own. More importantly, the book of Judges generally does not provide a good example of much of anything. When the theme of the book is “everyone did what was right in his own eyes” (Judges 21:25), we should think twice before copying whatever practices or attitudes we find in its chapters. Gideon’s request was probably an indication of cowardice and unbelief more than faithful, wise decision making.
Kevin DeYoung (Just Do Something: A Liberating Approach to Finding God's Will)
Lifelong health and vitality are a marathon not a sprint.
Amy Leigh Mercree (Essential Oils Handbook: Recipes for Natural Living (Volume 2))
Success is not a marathon; it's a compilation of short races one building on the success of another.
Zane Baker
Inner Odyssey In the depths of my being, I feel a stirring, A sense of discontent, a restless yearning. A voice inside me whispers, "There's more to life," And I know that it's time to embrace the strife. Self-improvement is the call of the day, A journey that takes us along the way. To become the best version of ourselves, We must delve deep and know ourselves. The first step on the road to self-improvement, Is to accept ourselves with love and fulfillment. Acknowledging our flaws, without self-judgment, Embracing our strengths, with pride and contentment. Next, we must set our sights on a goal, Something that inspires, that stirs the soul. It could be a passion, a dream to chase, Or a new skill to learn, a challenge to face. With this goal in mind, we chart our course, And take the first step with courage and force. It may not be easy, the path may be rough, But with each step forward, we gain in rebuff. The road to self-improvement is not a sprint, But a marathon, where patience and persistence are the hint. With every day's effort, we inch closer to our aim, And as we move forward, we break free from the chain. Self-improvement requires discipline and focus, The determination to rise above the hocus-pocus. To maintain our momentum, we must prioritize, And make every moment count, as we surmise. The journey is long, and at times, we may stumble, But if we keep our eyes on the prize, we will not crumble. With every setback, we learn and grow, And with every success, we feel the glow. Self-improvement is not just about us, It's about those we touch, those who we fuss. As we grow, we inspire others to follow, And to chase their dreams, without any hollow. We become the beacon of light, a ray of hope, For those who are lost, a guide to help them cope. With our words and actions, we inspire change, And in doing so, our lives are rearrange. Self-improvement is not a destination, But a journey that unfolds, without limitation. As we reach one goal, we set our sights anew, And in doing so, we discover ourselves anew. So let us embrace the journey of self-improvement, And strive to be the best, with every moment. For as we grow and learn, we enrich our lives, And in doing so, we touch others' lives. The journey is long, but the rewards are great, For as we improve ourselves, we change our fate. So let us take the first step with courage and force, And embrace the journey with passion and remorse.
Manmohan Mishra (Self Help)
Inspiration is for amateurs—the rest of us just show up and get to work.” —Chuck Close
Satish Shenoy (Runaway Growth: Seven Life & Business Lessons from Running Marathons across Seven Continents)