---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jogging, I believe they call it. It seems…"
description: "\"Jogging, I believe they call it. It seems to be an epidemic psychological illness afflicting Americans these days. A form of masochism, like the flagel..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/david-lodge-11610_age_jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems_541210.jpg"
---

#  Jogging, I believe they call it. It seems to be an…

![“Jogging, I believe they call it. It seems to be an epidemic psychological illness afflicting Americans these days. A form of masochism, like the flagellantes in the Middle Ages.” quote by David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/david-lodge-11610_age_jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems_541210.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/david-lodge-11610_age_jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems_541210.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/david-lodge-11610_age_jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems_541210.jpg)

> “Jogging, I believe they call it. It seems to be an epidemic psychological illness afflicting Americans these days. A form of masochism, like the flagellantes in the Middle Ages.”

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Modern society treats jogging like a compulsive trend, turning health into a form of self‑punishment.

**In simple terms:** Jogging is seen as a harmful obsession.

Key Takeaway

Question the purpose behind your exercise.

Themes

health society obsession

Mood

critical thoughtful

Type

observational analytical

When to use this quote

- fitness clubs
- urban life
- media influence
- personal health goals

Key Concepts

cultural critique psychology

Questions to Reflect On

- Why do you feel compelled to jog?
- Is it health or social pressure?

A Different Perspective

Not all exercise is harmful; moderation matters.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Epidemics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/epidemics/) [Humour](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/humour/) [Illness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illness/) [Jogging](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jogging/) [Masochism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/masochism/) [Middle ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/middle-ages/) [Psychological](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/psychological/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/)

## Related quotes

> [“You have more zeal than good taste, Martín. The disease afflicting you has a name, and that is Grand Guignol : it does to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-ruiz-zafon/you-have-more-zeal-than-good-taste-mart-n-the-disease-afflicting-you/)

[Carlos Ruiz Zafón](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-ruiz-zafon/)

> [“You can’t comfort the afflicted,” the note read, “without afflicting the comfortable.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-andersen/you-can-t-comfort-the-afflicted-the-note-read-without-afflicting-the/)

[Christopher Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-andersen/)

> [Pour not on the comforts you want, but upon the mercies you have. Look rather at God's ending in afflicting, than to the measure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-love/pour-not-on-the-comforts-you-want-but-upon-the-mercies-you-have-look/)

[Christopher Love](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-love/)

> [CALLOUS, adj. Gifted with great fortitude to bear the evils afflicting another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ambrose-bierce/callous-adj-gifted-with-great-fortitude-to-bear-the-evils-afflicting/)

[Ambrose Bierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ambrose-bierce/)

> [You can't comfort the afflicted with afflicting the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/princess-diana/you-can-t-comfort-the-afflicted-with-afflicting-the-comfortable/)

[Princess Diana](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/princess-diana/)

> [Sometimes comforting the afflicted does require afflicting the comfortable.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mario-cuomo/sometimes-comforting-the-afflicted-does-require-afflicting-the/)

[Mario Cuomo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mario-cuomo/)

> [“and only much later, when Mascha wanted a child, did I realize that love is a deadly poison, a vice, a vice that one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/and-only-much-later-when-mascha-wanted-a-child-did-i-realize-that/)

[Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/)

> [“Getting up once in the dark to go adventuring is a lark. Twice in two days smacks of masochism.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/diana-gabaldon/getting-up-once-in-the-dark-to-go-adventuring-is-a-lark-twice-in-two/)

[Diana Gabaldon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/diana-gabaldon/)

> [In good old Colonial Dunsboro, masochism is a valuable job skill. It is in most jobs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/in-good-old-colonial-dunsboro-masochism-is-a-valuable-job-skill-it-is/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [Masochism is a valuable job skill.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/masochism-is-a-valuable-job-skill/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“The original restrictive meaning of sexual aberration which derives satisfaction from a passive relation to the partner has been retained. Masochism, however, has come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodor-reik/the-original-restrictive-meaning-of-sexual-aberration-which-derives/)

[Theodor Reik](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodor-reik/)

> [The student now goes to college to proclaim rather than to learn. A spirit of national masochism prevails, encouraged by an effete corps of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/spiro-t-agnew/the-student-now-goes-to-college-to-proclaim-rather-than-to-learn-a/)

[Spiro T. Agnew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/spiro-t-agnew/)

> [As I see it, our revolutionary task is to destroy phallic identity in men and masochistic non-identity in women--that is, to destroy the polar…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrea-dworkin/as-i-see-it-our-revolutionary-task-is-to-destroy-phallic-identity-in/)

[Andrea Dworkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrea-dworkin/)

> [I ache for the touch of your lips dear, but much more for the touch of your whips dear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-lehrer/i-ache-for-the-touch-of-your-lips-dear-but-much-more-for-the-touch-of/)

[Tom Lehrer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-lehrer/)

> [“I locked the door and turned on the water to fill the tub. I made it so hot that I had to get in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-crandall/i-locked-the-door-and-turned-on-the-water-to-fill-the-tub-i-made-it/)

[Susan Crandall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-crandall/)

## More by David Lodge

> [Universities are the cathedrals of the modern age. They shouldn't have to justify their existence by utilitarian criteria.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/universities-are-the-cathedrals-of-the-modern-age-they-shouldn-t-have/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“We’re a bundle of incompatible parts, and we make up stories about ourselves to disguise the fact. The mental unity of the individual is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/we-re-a-bundle-of-incompatible-parts-and-we-make-up-stories-about/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“perhaps it will I said perhaps it will be wonderful perhaps even though it won't be like you think perhaps that won't matter perhaps”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/perhaps-it-will-i-said-perhaps-it-will-be-wonderful-perhaps-even/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“So they stood upon the shores of Faith and felt the old dogmas and certainties ebbing away rapidly under their feet and between their…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/so-they-stood-upon-the-shores-of-faith-and-felt-the-old-dogmas-and/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“Cica in fiecare grasan se afla cate-un slabanog care se lupta sa iasa la lumina, iar eu unul ii aud strigatele inabusite ori de…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/cica-in-fiecare-grasan-se-afla-cate-un-slabanog-care-se-lupta-sa-iasa/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“Information is the religion of the modern world.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/information-is-the-religion-of-the-modern-world/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“He hugs the thought to himself with guilty glee.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/he-hugs-the-thought-to-himself-with-guilty-glee/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“When does a novel begin? The question is almost as difficult to answer as the question, when does the human embryo become a person? ”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/when-does-a-novel-begin-the-question-is-almost-as-difficult-to-answer/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [It was Adam Appleby's misfortune that at the moment of awakening from sleep his consciousness was immediately flooded with everything he least wanted to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/it-was-adam-appleby-s-misfortune-that-at-the-moment-of-awakening-from/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“It was said that the view through the open window above the urinal, straight across the Bay to the Silver Span, was the finest…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/it-was-said-that-the-view-through-the-open-window-above-the-urinal/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“Our friends started life with too many beliefs -- the penalty of a Catholic upbringing. They were weighted down with beliefs, useless answers to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/our-friends-started-life-with-too-many-beliefs-the-penalty-of-a/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [Literature is mostly about having sex and not much about having children. Life is the other way round.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/literature-is-mostly-about-having-sex-and-not-much-about-having/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [Perhaps that's what we're all looking for - desire undiluted by habit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/perhaps-that-s-what-we-re-all-looking-for-desire-undiluted-by-habit/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [Language is the net that holds thought trapped within a particular culture. But if one could only strike the ball with sufficient force, with…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/language-is-the-net-that-holds-thought-trapped-within-a-particular/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

> [“It is, as I say, easy enough to describe Holden's style of narration; but more difficult to explain how it holds our attention and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/it-is-as-i-say-easy-enough-to-describe-holden-s-style-of-narration/)

[David Lodge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

[Explore all 59 David Lodge quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/)

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Jogging, I believe they call it. It seems to be an epidemic psychological illness afflicting Americans these days. A form of masochism, like the flagellantes in the Middle Ages.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "David Lodge"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems-to-be-an-epidemic/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems-to-be-an-epidemic/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/david-lodge-11610_age_jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems_541210.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/david-lodge-11610_age_jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems_541210.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/0f1/david-lodge-11610_age_jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems_541210.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Jogging, I believe they call it. It seems to be an epidemic psychological illness afflicting Americans these…” — David Lodge",
                "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": "David Lodge",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-lodge/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Jogging, I believe they call it....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems-to-be-an-epidemic/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-lodge/jogging-i-believe-they-call-it-it-seems-to-be-an-epidemic/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
