--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I still bother with runners I call…" description: "\"I still bother with runners I call hamburgers. They're never going to run any record times, but they can always fulfill their own potential.\" — Bill Bo..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/bill-bowerman-27013_time_i-still-bother-with-runners-i-call-hambu_1943092.jpg" --- # I still bother with runners I call hamburgers. They're… ![“I still bother with runners I call hamburgers. They're never going to run any record times, but they can always fulfill their own potential.” quote by Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/bill-bowerman-27013_time_i-still-bother-with-runners-i-call-hambu_1943092.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/bill-bowerman-27013_time_i-still-bother-with-runners-i-call-hambu_1943092.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/9df/bill-bowerman-27013_time_i-still-bother-with-runners-i-call-hambu_1943092.jpg) > “I still bother with runners I call hamburgers. They're never going to run any record times, but they can always fulfill their own potential.” [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He acknowledges that some athletes may never achieve top records but can still realize personal potential. **In simple terms:** Even if not record‑breaking, athletes can still succeed personally. Key Takeaway Focus on personal growth over external accolades. Themes potential personal development coaching athletics Mood encouraging reflective Type advice inspirational When to use this quote - training programs - youth sports - rehabilitation - recreational running Key Concepts self‑actualization mindset motivation Questions to Reflect On - How can coaches nurture personal bests in all athletes? - What defines success beyond records? A Different Perspective Not all athletes have access to elite resources or support. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Runners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runners/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [I still bother with runners I call hamburgers. They're never going to run any record times. But they can fulfill their own potential.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-still-bother-with-runners-i-call-hamburgers-they-re-never-going-to-2/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A teacher is never too smart to learn from his pupils. But while runners differ, basic principles never change. So it's a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/a-teacher-is-never-too-smart-to-learn-from-his-pupils-but-while/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [“The fastest runners don't always win the race and the greatest heroes don't always win the battles. But just keep running and fighting if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jos-n-harris/the-fastest-runners-don-t-always-win-the-race-and-the-greatest-heroes/) [José N. Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jos-n-harris/) > [Anybody can be a runner. We were meant to move. We were meant to run. It's the easiest sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rodgers/anybody-can-be-a-runner-we-were-meant-to-move-we-were-meant-to-run-it/) [Bill Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rodgers/) > [A slow band can be great. A slow 100-metres runner is just obsolete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gylve-nagell/a-slow-band-can-be-great-a-slow-100-metres-runner-is-just-obsolete/) [Gylve Nagell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gylve-nagell/) > [The runner's greatest asset, apart from essential fitness of body, is a cool and calculating brain allied to confidence and courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/franz-stampfl/the-runner-s-greatest-asset-apart-from-essential-fitness-of-body-is-a/) [Franz Stampfl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/franz-stampfl/) > [Runners like to train 100 miles per week because it's a round number. But I think 88 is a lot rounder.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-kardong/runners-like-to-train-100-miles-per-week-because-it-s-a-round-number/) [Don Kardong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-kardong/) > [Remember that failure is part of the process of successful running. Performance is a roller coaster; to think otherwise is irrational and will cause…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-lynch/remember-that-failure-is-part-of-the-process-of-successful-running/) Jerry Lynch > [Or why it is acceptable to train fast runners and high jumpers but not to breed them. I can think of some answers, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-dawkins/or-why-it-is-acceptable-to-train-fast-runners-and-high-jumpers-but/) [Richard Dawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-dawkins/) > [I am an avid runner, mainly on weekends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-wilson/i-am-an-avid-runner-mainly-on-weekends/) [Patrick Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-wilson/) > [To be a champion long-distance runner you have to run on the edge of death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toshihiko-seko/to-be-a-champion-long-distance-runner-you-have-to-run-on-the-edge-of/) Toshihiko Seko > [What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you can't afford to buy a hamburger?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-good-is-having-the-right-to-sit-at-a-lunch-counter-if-you-can-t/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Ketchup is great on hamburgers, but if some gets on your shirt, that does not make your shirt also a hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-engvall/ketchup-is-great-on-hamburgers-but-if-some-gets-on-your-shirt-that/) [Bill Engvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-engvall/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) ## More by Bill Bowerman > [Men of Oregon, I invite you to become students of your events. Running, one might say, is basically an absurd past-time upon which to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/men-of-oregon-i-invite-you-to-become-students-of-your-events-running/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [The idea that the harder you work, the better you're going to be is just garbage. The greatest improvement is made by the man…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/the-idea-that-the-harder-you-work-the-better-you-re-going-to-be-is/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [Don't give anything away. Never make it easy for the guys you are trying to beat.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/don-t-give-anything-away-never-make-it-easy-for-the-guys-you-are/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [This killing of Israel athletes is an act of war. And if there's one place that war doesn't belong, it's here. 1200 years. From…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/this-killing-of-israel-athletes-is-an-act-of-war-and-if-there-s-one/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [A teacher is never too smart to learn from his pupils. But while runners differ, basic principles never change. So it's a matter of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/a-teacher-is-never-too-smart-to-learn-from-his-pupils-but-while/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [Now to explore the limits of the one competitor above everyone else you've always loved to face: Steve Prefontaine.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/now-to-explore-the-limits-of-the-one-competitor-above-everyone-else/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [If someone says, 'Hey, I ran 100 miles this week. How far did you run?' ignore him! What the hell difference does it make?……](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/if-someone-says-hey-i-ran-100-miles-this-week-how-far-did-you-run/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [If at the end of a race you know yourself that you have done your best, you're a winner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/if-at-the-end-of-a-race-you-know-yourself-that-you-have-done-your/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [The magic is in the man, not the 100 miles.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/the-magic-is-in-the-man-not-the-100-miles/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [Victory is in having done your best. If you've done your best, you've won.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/victory-is-in-having-done-your-best-if-you-ve-done-your-best-you-ve/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [God determines how fast you're going to run; I can help only with the mechanics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/god-determines-how-fast-you-re-going-to-run-i-can-help-only-with-the/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [God determines how fast you're going to run; I can only help with the mechanics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/god-determines-how-fast-you-re-going-to-run-i-can-only-help-with-the/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [The athlete makes himself, the coach doesn't make the athlete.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/the-athlete-makes-himself-the-coach-doesn-t-make-the-athlete/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [There is no bad weather, just soft runners.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/there-is-no-bad-weather-just-soft-runners/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) > [It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-bowerman/it-s-easier-to-beg-forgiveness-than-ask-permission/) [Bill Bowerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) [Explore all 21 Bill Bowerman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-bowerman/) ## More Hamburgers quotes > [I don't wear a watch because I want my arms to weigh the same. So if somebody asks me what time it is, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mitch-hedberg/i-don-t-wear-a-watch-because-i-want-my-arms-to-weigh-the-same-so-if/) [Mitch Hedberg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mitch-hedberg/) > [We do not want to be reminded that it is we, the indigenous people, who are poor and exploited in the land of our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-biko/we-do-not-want-to-be-reminded-that-it-is-we-the-indigenous-people-who/) [Steven Biko](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-biko/) > [What good is having the right to sit at a lunch counter if you can't afford to buy a hamburger?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-luther-king-jr/what-good-is-having-the-right-to-sit-at-a-lunch-counter-if-you-can-t/) [Martin Luther King, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-luther-king-jr/) > [Ketchup is great on hamburgers, but if some gets on your shirt, that does not make your shirt also a hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-engvall/ketchup-is-great-on-hamburgers-but-if-some-gets-on-your-shirt-that/) [Bill Engvall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-engvall/) > [Tell you what," I said. "After the testing after the Demon Days, when things settle down -" "Things won't settle down." "- I'm going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/tell-you-what-i-said-after-the-testing-after-the-demon-days-when/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [Learn how to cook! That's the way to save money. You don't save it buying hamburger helpers, and prepared foods; you save it by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-child/learn-how-to-cook-that-s-the-way-to-save-money-you-don-t-save-it/) [Julia Child](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-child/) > [Grand Slam losses are hard. I treat myself after losses though, I usually go to McDonald's and I have a hamburger and you know,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/venus-williams/grand-slam-losses-are-hard-i-treat-myself-after-losses-though-i/) [Venus Williams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/venus-williams/) > [Sacred cows make the best hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/sacred-cows-make-the-best-hamburger/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [“They served "Good Food" but only a G, an O and a D were lit up. Personally, I doubted God dined there. Unless God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julie-kenner/they-served-good-food-but-only-a-g-an-o-and-a-d-were-lit-up/) [Julie Kenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julie-kenner/) > [A waft of sweet hash drifted by, and I wanted to float after it like Wimpy levitating at the scent of a hamburger.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jerry-stahl/a-waft-of-sweet-hash-drifted-by-and-i-wanted-to-float-after-it-like/) [Jerry Stahl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jerry-stahl/) > [I wouldn't eat a hamburger for 40,000 dollars.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/river-phoenix/i-wouldn-t-eat-a-hamburger-for-40-000-dollars/) [River Phoenix](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/river-phoenix/) > [I love food: hamburgers, pizza, gnocci, mashed potatoes, and especially chocolate. I enjoy eating for the sake of eating. Sometimes I feel sad for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laetitia-casta/i-love-food-hamburgers-pizza-gnocci-mashed-potatoes-and-especially/) [Laetitia Casta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laetitia-casta/) > [It requires a certain kind of mind to see beauty in a hamburger bun,](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-kroc/it-requires-a-certain-kind-of-mind-to-see-beauty-in-a-hamburger-bun/) [Ray Kroc](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-kroc/) > [Who needs a girlfriend when you have hamburgers and a computer.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/who-needs-a-girlfriend-when-you-have-hamburgers-and-a-computer/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I still love making hamburgers on the grill. I guess whenever I eat them childhood memories come up for me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bobby-flay/i-still-love-making-hamburgers-on-the-grill-i-guess-whenever-i-eat/) [Bobby Flay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bobby-flay/) Browse all 202 Hamburgers quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I still bother with runners I call hamburgers. 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