--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at…" description: "\"“I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary—or perhaps more like mediocre—level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I imp..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/haruki-murakami-21_quote_i-m-no-great-runner-by-any-means-i-m-at_1073083.jpg" --- # I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary—or… ![“I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary—or perhaps more like mediocre—level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In” quote by Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/haruki-murakami-21_quote_i-m-no-great-runner-by-any-means-i-m-at_1073083.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/haruki-murakami-21_quote_i-m-no-great-runner-by-any-means-i-m-at_1073083.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/705/haruki-murakami-21_quote_i-m-no-great-runner-by-any-means-i-m-at_1073083.jpg) > ““I’m no great runner, by any means. I’m at an ordinary—or perhaps more like mediocre—level. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In”” [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Progress is measured by personal improvement over yesterday, not by external standards or innate talent. **In simple terms:** Improvement matters more than being great. Key Takeaway Focus on daily personal growth. Themes self‑improvement running meditation personal standards humility Mood inspirational reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - training logs - goal setting - reflection journals Key Concepts sports psychology philosophy mindset Questions to Reflect On - What small improvement did you make today? - How can you celebrate incremental gains? A Different Perspective Comparisons to others can distract from true progress. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Improved Yesterday](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/improved-yesterday-1878245/) [Like Mediocre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/like-mediocre-2247306/) [Mediocre Level](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mediocre-level-2682855/) [Runner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runner/) [Runner Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runner-means-459776/) ## Related quotes > [“I'm no great runner, by any means. I'm at an ordinary - or perhaps more like mediocre- level.But that's not the point. The point…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-m-no-great-runner-by-any-means-i-m-at-an-ordinary-or-perhaps-more-2/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The point is whether or not I improved over yesterday. In long-distance running the only opponent you have to beat is yourself, the way…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-point-is-whether-or-not-i-improved-over-yesterday-in-long/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Every race proves a new opportunity to educate myself about what it means to be a runner and what it means to run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-grunenwald/every-race-proves-a-new-opportunity-to-educate-myself-about-what-it/) [Jill Grunenwald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-grunenwald/) > [Being a runner means you are now 'free' to win and lose and live life to its fullest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rodgers/being-a-runner-means-you-are-now-free-to-win-and-lose-and-live-life/) [Bill Rodgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rodgers/) > [Time means a great deal to every runner. It means everything to me, because most days miles don't count; only minutes do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-henderson/time-means-a-great-deal-to-every-runner-it-means-everything-to-me/) [Joe Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-henderson/) > [“I have been like a mediocre concert pianist playing in front of a tone-deaf family, who applaud out of duty rather than for accomplishment.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-murray/i-have-been-like-a-mediocre-concert-pianist-playing-in-front-of-a/) [Chris Murray](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-murray/) > [I don't like being mediocre. I won't be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mike-milbury/i-don-t-like-being-mediocre-i-won-t-be/) [Mike Milbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mike-milbury/) > [For me, running is both exercise and a metaphor. Running day after day, piling up the races, bit by bit I raise the bar,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/for-me-running-is-both-exercise-and-a-metaphor-running-day-after-day/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“My time, the rank I attain, my outward appearance—all of these are secondary. For a runner like me, what’s really important is reaching the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/my-time-the-rank-i-attain-my-outward-appearance-all-of-these-are/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [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/) > [“Runner up is champion of the losers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/runner-up-is-champion-of-the-losers/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toshihiko-seko/) > [A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/a-shoe-dog-is-somebody-that-really-loves-shoes-and-that-was-me-i-was/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) ## More by Haruki Murakami > [I always feel like I'm struggling to become someone else. Like I'm trying to find a new place, grab hold of a new life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/i-always-feel-like-i-m-struggling-to-become-someone-else-like-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If writing novels is like planting a forest, then writing short stories is more like planting a garden.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-writing-novels-is-like-planting-a-forest-then-writing-short/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“The sad truth is that what I could recall in five seconds all too soon needed ten, then thirty, thena full minute...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-sad-truth-is-that-what-i-could-recall-in-five-seconds-all-too/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Intelligent teenage girls were often instinctively theatrical, purposely eccentric, mouthing highly suggestive words to confuse people.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/intelligent-teenage-girls-were-often-instinctively-theatrical/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [Memory is like fiction; or else it's fiction that's like memory. This really came home to me once I started writing fiction, that memory…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/memory-is-like-fiction-or-else-it-s-fiction-that-s-like-memory-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [The most dangerous creature here would have to be me. So maybe I'm just scared of my own shadow.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/the-most-dangerous-creature-here-would-have-to-be-me-so-maybe-i-m/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [If you listen to the radio for a whole hour there's maybe one decent song. The rest is mass-produced garbage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/if-you-listen-to-the-radio-for-a-whole-hour-there-s-maybe-one-decent/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“that one of our problems was our inability to recognize and accept our own deformities”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/that-one-of-our-problems-was-our-inability-to-recognize-and-accept/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When I look back at myself at age twenty, what I remember most is being alone and lonely. I had no girlfriend to warm…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-i-look-back-at-myself-at-age-twenty-what-i-remember-most-is/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“There's not a branch of publishing or broadcasting that doesn't depend in some way on advertising. It'd be like an aquarium without water. Why,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/there-s-not-a-branch-of-publishing-or-broadcasting-that-doesn-t/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Eleven o'clock had come and gone. I had to find a way to bring this conversation to a successful conclusion and get out of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/eleven-o-clock-had-come-and-gone-i-had-to-find-a-way-to-bring-this/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“Some people get a kick out of reading railway timetables and that's all they do all day. Some people make huge model boats out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/some-people-get-a-kick-out-of-reading-railway-timetables-and-that-s/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“When the time comes, everybody’s got to end up where they belong. Only me, I didn’t have a place to call my own. It’s…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/when-the-time-comes-everybody-s-got-to-end-up-where-they-belong-only/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [“You let something out of the bag before yourself knew what it was all about”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-let-something-out-of-the-bag-before-yourself-knew-what-it-was-all/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) [Explore all 2,928 Haruki Murakami quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) ## More Runner quotes > [A shoe dog is somebody that really loves shoes, and that was me. I was a runner... that became important to me, and it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/a-shoe-dog-is-somebody-that-really-loves-shoes-and-that-was-me-i-was/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toshihiko-seko/) > [“One by one, I'll face the tasks before me and complete them as best I can. Focusing on each stride forward, but at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/one-by-one-i-ll-face-the-tasks-before-me-and-complete-them-as-best-i/) [Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/) > [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/) > [“Runner up is champion of the losers.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raheel-farooq/runner-up-is-champion-of-the-losers/) [Raheel Farooq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raheel-farooq/) > [Time means a great deal to every runner. It means everything to me, because most days miles don't count; only minutes do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-henderson/time-means-a-great-deal-to-every-runner-it-means-everything-to-me/) [Joe Henderson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-henderson/) > [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/) > [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/) > [I was a decent 800 m. runner, not 400 - and I'm actually really proud of this: I beat the girls and the boys…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/johanna-konta/i-was-a-decent-800-m-runner-not-400-and-i-m-actually-really-proud-of/) [Johanna Konta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/johanna-konta/) > [My mum's a good runner, so is my granddad. We're a big sporting family.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cameron-norrie/my-mum-s-a-good-runner-so-is-my-granddad-we-re-a-big-sporting-family/) [Cameron Norrie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cameron-norrie/) > [Actually, ambition won't get you that far. You'll shift gears. You'll see something that's shinier. But if you believe... then you're the long-distance runner.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sam-abell/actually-ambition-won-t-get-you-that-far-you-ll-shift-gears-you-ll/) [Sam Abell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sam-abell/) > [“Running isn't a sport for pretty boys...It's about the sweat in your hair and the blisters on your feet. Its the frozen spit on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-maurer/running-isn-t-a-sport-for-pretty-boys-it-s-about-the-sweat-in-your/) [Paul Maurer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-maurer/) > [He was not a runner, my father, but he was quick. I always remember it was very difficult to escape from him when he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haile-gebrselassie/he-was-not-a-runner-my-father-but-he-was-quick-i-always-remember-it/) [Haile Gebrselassie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haile-gebrselassie/) > [“The runner is coming to know, or will know if he runs enough...that the universe is the smallest divisible unit.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-sheehan/the-runner-is-coming-to-know-or-will-know-if-he-runs-enough-that-the/) [George Sheehan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-sheehan/) > [The idea of being a show runner was very attractive to me, to create and control something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nic-pizzolatto/the-idea-of-being-a-show-runner-was-very-attractive-to-me-to-create/) [Nic Pizzolatto](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nic-pizzolatto/) [Browse all 314 Runner quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runner/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“I’m no great runner, by any means. 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