--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I've run the marathon several times, so I…" description: "\"I've run the marathon several times, so I definitely don't look like the Great Ancestor!\" — George Takei" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abb/george-takei-4192_ancestor_i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i_823064.jpg" --- # I've run the marathon several times, so I definitely don't… ![“I've run the marathon several times, so I definitely don't look like the Great Ancestor!” quote by George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abb/george-takei-4192_ancestor_i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i_823064.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abb/george-takei-4192_ancestor_i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i_823064.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abb/george-takei-4192_ancestor_i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i_823064.jpg) > “I've run the marathon several times, so I definitely don't look like the Great Ancestor!” [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker jokes about not resembling an ancestor, highlighting humor in self‑deprecation and cultural expectations. **In simple terms:** Humor can defuse pressure of heritage expectations. Key Takeaway Use humor to ease cultural pressure. Themes humor heritage identity Mood lighthearted reflective Type comedy cultural When to use this quote - family gatherings - public speaking - social media Key Concepts cultural studies self‑image Questions to Reflect On - How does joking about heritage affect your self‑view? - When is self‑deprecation helpful? A Different Perspective Humor may mask deeper insecurities about identity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Ancestor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) [Marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marathon/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [What could be funnier than a fat person trying to run a marathon?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/what-could-be-funnier-than-a-fat-person-trying-to-run-a-marathon/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) > [My wife and I work out together almost every day. It's just a great way to spend time together. We're going to run a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/my-wife-and-i-work-out-together-almost-every-day-it-s-just-a-great/) [Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/) > [To run a marathon was a challenge that I had in my head since I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milind-soman/to-run-a-marathon-was-a-challenge-that-i-had-in-my-head-since-i-was-a/) [Milind Soman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milind-soman/) > [It's about having an active lifestyle, staying healthy, and making the right decisions. Life is about balance. Not everybody wants to run a marathon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/it-s-about-having-an-active-lifestyle-staying-healthy-and-making-the/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/we-are-different-in-essence-from-other-men-if-you-want-to-win/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/if-you-want-to-run-run-a-mile-if-you-want-to-experience-a-different/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [You can run a sprint or your can run a marathon, but you can't sprint a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/you-can-run-a-sprint-or-your-can-run-a-marathon-but-you-can-t-sprint/) [Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/) > [I've run a marathon - I think that's the most surprising thing about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/i-ve-run-a-marathon-i-think-that-s-the-most-surprising-thing-about-me/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [I was really unfit for a while, so once I began running, I developed an obsession with it and started feeling really good. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lee-miller/i-was-really-unfit-for-a-while-so-once-i-began-running-i-developed-an/) [Jonny Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lee-miller/) > [Don't expect to run a marathon on your first try. Take it slow but push yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-expect-to-run-a-marathon-on-your-first-try-take-it-slow-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You're never too old. You don't have to be eighteen to run a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-never-too-old-you-don-t-have-to-be-eighteen-to-run-a-marathon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always thought if you run a Marathon in less than 4 hours, there is a tick of athletic accomplishment in that. Anything over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltrip/i-always-thought-if-you-run-a-marathon-in-less-than-4-hours-there-is/) [Michael Waltrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltrip/) > [“When you run a marathon, you mean it. We're built for running. We dream of flying. For now, though, we're built to run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-cheever/when-you-run-a-marathon-you-mean-it-we-re-built-for-running-we-dream/) Benjamin Cheever > [Your vision of your future will help you press forward. Take a few minutes to envision where you want to be in one year…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elaine-s-dalton/your-vision-of-your-future-will-help-you-press-forward-take-a-few/) [Elaine S. Dalton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elaine-s-dalton/) ## More by George Takei > [“Sharing is an act of trust, for ridicule is an ever-present risk on the Internet today.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/sharing-is-an-act-of-trust-for-ridicule-is-an-ever-present-risk-on/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“If leadership requires a fired-up sense of purpose and imagination, it also demands a profound connection to the society to be led. Like it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/if-leadership-requires-a-fired-up-sense-of-purpose-and-imagination-it/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“As with the douchebags of the world, calling an asshole an asshole sometimes is exactly what needs to happen.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/as-with-the-douchebags-of-the-world-calling-an-asshole-an-asshole/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“But as Stephen Fry has so eloquently noted, all great atrocities and genocides first begin with marginalizing then dehumanizing a specific group of people,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/but-as-stephen-fry-has-so-eloquently-noted-all-great-atrocities-and/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [A man who layeth with another man must be stoned.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/a-man-who-layeth-with-another-man-must-be-stoned/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Well, the whole history of Star Trek is the market demand.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/well-the-whole-history-of-star-trek-is-the-market-demand/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Today we have the economic collapse that the whole planet is suffering, but there is hope, and that's what's going to keep us moving…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/today-we-have-the-economic-collapse-that-the-whole-planet-is/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [You know, I grew up in two American internment camps, and at that time I was very young.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/you-know-i-grew-up-in-two-american-internment-camps-and-at-that-time/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“I began to wonder, what accounts for our collective affinity for the apocalypse? What is it about “the end” that makes it always seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-began-to-wonder-what-accounts-for-our-collective-affinity-for-the/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“If Grumpy Cat could bring herself to actually support something, it should be a no-brainer for mere humans.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/if-grumpy-cat-could-bring-herself-to-actually-support-something-it/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“And anyway, as they will say in the distant future, “Replication is the sincerest form of flattery.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/and-anyway-as-they-will-say-in-the-distant-future-replication-is-the/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“I call this phenomenon “hipsterization”—when those who fancy themselves on the cutting edge dismiss the very items they had touted as cool until they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-call-this-phenomenon-hipsterization-when-those-who-fancy-themselves/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“Cultural icons help people define who they are today because they shaped who they were as children.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/cultural-icons-help-people-define-who-they-are-today-because-they/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [Do your duty as an American, and as a citizen of the galaxy... Vote!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/do-your-duty-as-an-american-and-as-a-citizen-of-the-galaxy-vote/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [“I’ve recently suggested that Betty and I should do a TV series about two seniors living together in an unlikely pairing of a widow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-ve-recently-suggested-that-betty-and-i-should-do-a-tv-series-about/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) [Explore all 115 George Takei quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) ## More Ancestor quotes > [A lot of indigenous cultures are deeply involved in working with ancestor spirits, elemental spirits, and demons. Many of these cultures feel that, if…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-pinchbeck/a-lot-of-indigenous-cultures-are-deeply-involved-in-working-with/) [Daniel Pinchbeck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-pinchbeck/) > [Food binds us to our roots as strongly as any song or poem. Many of us have learned more about our ancestors in the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-thomas/food-binds-us-to-our-roots-as-strongly-as-any-song-or-poem-many-of-us/) [Anna Thomas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-thomas/) > [Whereas our ancestors (not of choice) were the first successful cultivators of the wilds of America, we their descendants feel ourselves entitled to participate…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-allen/whereas-our-ancestors-not-of-choice-were-the-first-successful/) [Richard Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-allen/) > [Going where no man has gone before is more difficult than it sounds. Our cousins and ancestors were no less curious than we are,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/n-d-wilson/going-where-no-man-has-gone-before-is-more-difficult-than-it-sounds/) [N.D. Wilson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/n-d-wilson/) > [I use the phrase 'sibling society' to suggest a culture fundamentally without fathers, mothers, grandfathers, grandmothers, or ancestors. The thinking is horizontal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-bly/i-use-the-phrase-sibling-society-to-suggest-a-culture-fundamentally/) [Robert Bly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-bly/) > [“A very long time ago, some 2.5 million years B.C., the mother of human species as we know it, our ultimate ancestor, appeared in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/norman-f-cantor/a-very-long-time-ago-some-2-5-million-years-b-c-the-mother-of-human/) [Norman F. Cantor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/norman-f-cantor/) > [High birth is an accident, not a virtue.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pietro-metastasio/high-birth-is-an-accident-not-a-virtue/) [Pietro Metastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pietro-metastasio/) > [Southerners, whose ancestors a hundred years ago knew the horrors of a homeland devastated by war, are particularly determined that war shall never come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/southerners-whose-ancestors-a-hundred-years-ago-knew-the-horrors-of-a/) [Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/) > [Two hundred years ago, before the advent of capitalism, a man's social status was fixed from the beginning to the end of his life;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ludwig-von-mises/two-hundred-years-ago-before-the-advent-of-capitalism-a-man-s-social/) [Ludwig von Mises](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ludwig-von-mises/) > [And I saw for the first time how, despite the isolation of our own lives, we are always connected to our ancestors; our bodies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alyson-richman/and-i-saw-for-the-first-time-how-despite-the-isolation-of-our-own/) [Alyson Richman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alyson-richman/) > [There is an ancient Indian saying: "We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children." If we use…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patricia-schroeder/there-is-an-ancient-indian-saying-we-do-not-inherit-the-earth-from/) [Patricia Schroeder](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patricia-schroeder/) > [It is how it has always been. We will accept the legacy of our ancestors,' Asha says, smiling, and in her smile I do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/libba-bray/it-is-how-it-has-always-been-we-will-accept-the-legacy-of-our/) [Libba Bray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/libba-bray/) > [My ancestors came over from Germany about the time of the Civil War and one of them lost a leg and went back to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/my-ancestors-came-over-from-germany-about-the-time-of-the-civil-war/) [Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/) > [ Now they \[the Powers\] have started the aggression, and the extinction of our nation is imminent. If we just fold our arms and yield… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/empress-dowager-cixi/now-they-the-powers-have-started-the-aggression-and-the-extinction-of/) Empress Dowager Cixi > [A solitary American monk named Thomas Berry writes that in our relationship to nature, we have been autistic for centuries. Wrapped tightly in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-benyus/a-solitary-american-monk-named-thomas-berry-writes-that-in-our/) [Janine Benyus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-benyus/) [Browse all 767 Ancestor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ancestor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I've run the marathon several times, so I definitely don't look like the Great Ancestor!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "George Takei" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i-definitely-don-t-look-like/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Ancestor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i-definitely-don-t-look-like/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abb/george-takei-4192_ancestor_i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i_823064.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abb/george-takei-4192_ancestor_i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i_823064.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/abb/george-takei-4192_ancestor_i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i_823064.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I've run the marathon several times, so I definitely don't look like the Great Ancestor!” — George Takei", "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": "George Takei", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I've run the marathon several times,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i-definitely-don-t-look-like/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i-definitely-don-t-look-like/#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 } } ] } ```