--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I was running since I was 10. Since grade…" description: "\"I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she's a natural.\" — Cathy Freeman" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/cathy-freeman-11281_natural_i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade_295974.png" --- # I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school… ![“I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she's a natural.” quote by Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/cathy-freeman-11281_natural_i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade_295974.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/cathy-freeman-11281_natural_i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade_295974.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/cathy-freeman-11281_natural_i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade_295974.png) > “I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she's a natural.” [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Early talent was recognized, shaping confidence and identity as a runner. **In simple terms:** People saw her talent early, boosting confidence. Key Takeaway Embrace early feedback to build confidence. Themes talent identity confidence Mood inspirational determined Type motivational personal When to use this quote - school sports - early coaching - media attention Key Concepts sports psychology self‑concept Questions to Reflect On - Do labels help or hinder growth? - How can you stay authentic under scrutiny? A Different Perspective Early labeling can create pressure to meet expectations. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [School](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/school/) ## Related quotes > [No man can run up the natural line of Evolution without coming to Christianity at the top.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-henry-drummond/no-man-can-run-up-the-natural-line-of-evolution-without-coming-to/) [William Henry Drummond](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-henry-drummond/) > [I speak with a lot of players who have stopped playing and they go to the gym for two hours a day and say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul/i-speak-with-a-lot-of-players-who-have-stopped-playing-and-they-go-to/) [Raul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul/) > [Everything was cool when I came back running 10.09. Now that I'm running some of the fastest times in history, people are uncomfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/justin-gatlin/everything-was-cool-when-i-came-back-running-10-09-now-that-i-m/) [Justin Gatlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/justin-gatlin/) > [“I saw Secretariat run - really run - for about fifteen seconds, and my life was never the same.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-rowand/i-saw-secretariat-run-really-run-for-about-fifteen-seconds-and-my/) [George Rowand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-rowand/) > [You can't really run from your roots.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yung-lean/you-can-t-really-run-from-your-roots/) [Yung Lean](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yung-lean/) > [There was always so much encouragement, to just really take it and run with it, from Deadheads.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-lesh/there-was-always-so-much-encouragement-to-just-really-take-it-and-run/) [Phil Lesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-lesh/) > [When you finally stop running, when you finally fall...just remember that you can pick yourself up, dust yourself off and look around...maybe then you'll…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damian-drue/when-you-finally-stop-running-when-you-finally-fall-just-remember/) Damian Drue > [“You tell yourself that you’re running toward some goal, chasing some rush, but really you run because the alternative, stopping, scares you to death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/you-tell-yourself-that-you-re-running-toward-some-goal-chasing-some/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [There is a natural link between the effective running of my businesses and the effective direction of philanthropic funds. I apply business principles to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohammed-hussein-al-amoudi/there-is-a-natural-link-between-the-effective-running-of-my/) Mohammed Hussein Al Amoudi > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) ## More by Cathy Freeman > [My mind is pretty made up that life for Cathy Freeman will be as an unmarried woman from now on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/my-mind-is-pretty-made-up-that-life-for-cathy-freeman-will-be-as-an/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I don't have a lot of regrets in my life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-don-t-have-a-lot-of-regrets-in-my-life/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I have time to breathe, time to be myself more often, I am a lot more relaxed and less guarded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-have-time-to-breathe-time-to-be-myself-more-often-i-am-a-lot-more/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I'll just let time happen. I don't have to articulate what may be or what may not be. I don't even do that to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-ll-just-let-time-happen-i-don-t-have-to-articulate-what-may-be-or/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I lie around the floor with my cats Billy and Jazz or watch DVDs with my best friends.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-lie-around-the-floor-with-my-cats-billy-and-jazz-or-watch-dvds-with/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [Being overseas at the time it all kind of happened was perfect because I had no idea that it was going to attract so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/being-overseas-at-the-time-it-all-kind-of-happened-was-perfect/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I made my first Australian senior team when I was 16, first Olympics when I was 19, and I retired. I'm 32, I retired…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-made-my-first-australian-senior-team-when-i-was-16-first-olympics/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [The last sort of really low-key race I ran, I realized with about a hundred metres to go, that my heart just wasn't in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/the-last-sort-of-really-low-key-race-i-ran-i-realized-with-about-a/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I've had my fair share of being dismissed. But I'm only about to turn 30. And when I finish running, I'm going to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-ve-had-my-fair-share-of-being-dismissed-but-i-m-only-about-to-turn/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I'd like to see as many sports as I can because I have never had the chance to enjoy the other sports in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-d-like-to-see-as-many-sports-as-i-can-because-i-have-never-had-the/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I do not have any official responsibilities related to the Australian Olympic Committee or the Federation of Athletic Associations since I am too busy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-do-not-have-any-official-responsibilities-related-to-the-australian/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I don't agree with everything Madonna's done but she is fearless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-don-t-agree-with-everything-madonna-s-done-but-she-is-fearless/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [The Athens Olympics will be meaningful even though I cannot participate as an athlete, since I can participate in the flame relay all over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/the-athens-olympics-will-be-meaningful-even-though-i-cannot/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I am very determined and the sport is my passion. I believe I am born for running.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-am-very-determined-and-the-sport-is-my-passion-i-believe-i-am-born/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) > [I like being in the workforce; it keeps me grounded.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-like-being-in-the-workforce-it-keeps-me-grounded/) [Cathy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) [Explore all 60 Cathy Freeman quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/) ## More Natural quotes > [Remember that your natural state is joy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wayne-dyer/remember-that-your-natural-state-is-joy/) [Wayne Dyer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wayne-dyer/) > [I always step on the plane with my right foot and touch the outside of the plane with my left hand. Sometimes you know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hope-davis/i-always-step-on-the-plane-with-my-right-foot-and-touch-the-outside/) [Hope Davis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hope-davis/) > [Wine is one of the most civilized things in the world and one of the most natural things of the world that has been…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/wine-is-one-of-the-most-civilized-things-in-the-world-and-one-of-the/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [It is natural that our minds replay old stories, because that is our own mechanism for trying to work out unresolved problems. Yet rerunning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tara-brach/it-is-natural-that-our-minds-replay-old-stories-because-that-is-our/) [Tara Brach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tara-brach/) > [We need to discover all over again that worship is natural to the Christian, as it was to the godly Israelites who wrote the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-i-packer/we-need-to-discover-all-over-again-that-worship-is-natural-to-the/) [J. I. Packer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-i-packer/) > [... informed ignorance provides the natural state of mind for research scientists at the ever-shifting frontiers of knowledge. People who believe themselves ignorant of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/neil-degrasse-tyson/informed-ignorance-provides-the-natural-state-of-mind-for-research/) [Neil deGrasse Tyson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/neil-degrasse-tyson/) > [The financial crisis we are facing today arises from the fact that there is almost no more social, cultural, natural, and spiritual capital left…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-eisenstein/the-financial-crisis-we-are-facing-today-arises-from-the-fact-that/) [Charles Eisenstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-eisenstein/) > [... the unnatural ways we substitute for the natural prove not enough and soon there must be more and more unnaturalness, more and more violence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-freeman/the-unnatural-ways-we-substitute-for-the-natural-prove-not-enough-and/) [Lucy Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-freeman/) > [I think cricket is there in Usain Bolt's blood. Since I got to watch from close quarters, it was amazing to see him run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harbhajan-singh/i-think-cricket-is-there-in-usain-bolt-s-blood-since-i-got-to-watch/) [Harbhajan Singh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harbhajan-singh/) > [ He \[ the son\]'s grown up listening to all types of music, and the natural form of rebellion is to find the one genre… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/solange-knowles/he-the-son-s-grown-up-listening-to-all-types-of-music-and-the-natural/) [Solange Knowles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/solange-knowles/) > [All our efforts to defeat poverty and pursue sustainable development will be in vain if environmental degradation and natural resource depletion continue unabated.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kofi-annan/all-our-efforts-to-defeat-poverty-and-pursue-sustainable-development/) [Kofi Annan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kofi-annan/) > [Teaching children about the natural world should be seen as one of the most important events in their lives.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-berry/teaching-children-about-the-natural-world-should-be-seen-as-one-of/) [Thomas Berry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-berry/) > [“But young men have not only this frivolous ambition of being thought masters of execution, inciting them on the one hand, but also their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/but-young-men-have-not-only-this-frivolous-ambition-of-being-thought/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [But that quickly faded, and he frowned. "You're bleeding," he said. "What happened?" Claire sighed and held up her wrist to show him the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-caine/but-that-quickly-faded-and-he-frowned-you-re-bleeding-he-said-what/) [Rachel Caine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-caine/) > [I honestly don't like Photoshop. I think when people Photoshop things, all of a sudden you're like, 'That's not even me anymore.' It takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lily-aldridge/i-honestly-don-t-like-photoshop-i-think-when-people-photoshop-things/) [Lily Aldridge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lily-aldridge/) Browse all 9,287 Natural quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can really run, she's a natural.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Cathy Freeman" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade-one-at-school-people-looked/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Natural" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade-one-at-school-people-looked/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/cathy-freeman-11281_natural_i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade_295974.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/cathy-freeman-11281_natural_i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade_295974.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/954/cathy-freeman-11281_natural_i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade_295974.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I was running since I was 10. Since grade one at school people looked at me and thought, oh gosh she can…” — Cathy Freeman", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Cathy Freeman", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cathy-freeman/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I was running since I was...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade-one-at-school-people-looked/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cathy-freeman/i-was-running-since-i-was-10-since-grade-one-at-school-people-looked/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```