--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When he ran from a cop, his transitions…" description: "\"When he ran from a cop, his transitions from accelerating walk to easy jog trot to brisk canter to headlong gallop to flogged-piston sprint . . . were ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-agee-9167_cop_when-he-ran-from-a-cop-his-transitions-f_2947358.jpg" --- # When he ran from a cop, his transitions from accelerating… ![“When he ran from a cop, his transitions from accelerating walk to easy jog trot to brisk canter to headlong gallop to flogged-piston sprint . . . were as distinct and as soberly in order as an automatic gearshift.” quote by James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-agee-9167_cop_when-he-ran-from-a-cop-his-transitions-f_2947358.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-agee-9167_cop_when-he-ran-from-a-cop-his-transitions-f_2947358.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/69a/james-agee-9167_cop_when-he-ran-from-a-cop-his-transitions-f_2947358.jpg) > “When he ran from a cop, his transitions from accelerating walk to easy jog trot to brisk canter to headlong gallop to flogged-piston sprint . . . were as distinct and as soberly in order as an automatic gearshift.” [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Escalating speed in a chase mirrors a car’s gears, each stage clearly defined and purposeful. **In simple terms:** A chase’s speed shifts like a gearshift. Key Takeaway Recognize the stages of escalating tension. Themes pace movement tension narrative dynamics Mood tense dramatic Type literary descriptive When to use this quote - sports commentary - action scenes - creative writing - performance coaching Key Concepts gearshift escalation momentum Questions to Reflect On - What does each “gear” represent in your life? - When should you shift to a slower pace? A Different Perspective Over‑emphasis on speed can overlook strategic pauses. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Cop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop/) [Cop Transitions](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cop-transitions-4424336/) [Distinct Soberly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distinct-soberly-4424337/) [Easy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/easy/) [Gallop Flogged](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gallop-flogged-4424338/) [Gearshift](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/gearshift-3085388/) [Headlong Gallop](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/headlong-gallop-4424339/) [Order](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/order/) [Ran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ran/) [Sprint](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sprint/) [Transition](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transition/) [Walks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/walks/) ## Related quotes > [Set the gearshift for the high gear of your soul, you've got to run like an antelope out of control!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trey-anastasio/set-the-gearshift-for-the-high-gear-of-your-soul-you-ve-got-to-run/) [Trey Anastasio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trey-anastasio/) > [Under pressure, the mouth speaks when the brain is disengaged, and, sometimes unwittingly, the gearshift is in reverse when it should be in neutral.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-ford/under-pressure-the-mouth-speaks-when-the-brain-is-disengaged-and/) [Henry Ford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-ford/) > [“ Maya Angelou entered our lives at Virago in 1984, when we first published I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings . "Entered our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lennie-goodings/maya-angelou-entered-our-lives-at-virago-in-1984-when-we-first/) [Lennie Goodings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lennie-goodings/) > [It's not a sprint to get in shape.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kerri-walsh/it-s-not-a-sprint-to-get-in-shape/) [Kerri Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kerri-walsh/) > [In the end, the American dream is not a sprint, or even a marathon, but a relay. Our families don't always cross the finish…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julian-castro/in-the-end-the-american-dream-is-not-a-sprint-or-even-a-marathon-but/) [Julian Castro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julian-castro/) > [Think about the change that occurred in the 1500m at Christchurch. The 1500m was usually a slow race and then a sprint \[at the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/filbert-bayi/think-about-the-change-that-occurred-in-the-1500m-at-christchurch-the/) [Filbert Bayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/filbert-bayi/) > [I idolised former sprint and hurdling champion Colin Jackson.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alesha-dixon/i-idolised-former-sprint-and-hurdling-champion-colin-jackson/) [Alesha Dixon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alesha-dixon/) > [You can do as many sprints as you want but there's nothing like playing in a 90-minute soccer game. There's no better way to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abby-wambach/you-can-do-as-many-sprints-as-you-want-but-there-s-nothing-like/) [Abby Wambach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abby-wambach/) > [Blink and you miss a sprint. The 10,000 meters is lap after lap of waiting. Theatrically, the mile is just the right length: beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/blink-and-you-miss-a-sprint-the-10-000-meters-is-lap-after-lap-of/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Hill sprints are good for everyone!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kara-goucher/hill-sprints-are-good-for-everyone/) [Kara Goucher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kara-goucher/) > [People have to realize that dieting is not a sprint, it's a marathon. If you celebrate the small victories, you will eventually win the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ian-k-smith/people-have-to-realize-that-dieting-is-not-a-sprint-it-s-a-marathon/) [Ian K. Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ian-k-smith/) > [At least for soccer players, it comes down to a blend of two types of fitness - your base endurance, which comes from longer…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/heather-o-reilly/at-least-for-soccer-players-it-comes-down-to-a-blend-of-two-types-of/) [Heather O'Reilly](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/heather-o-reilly/) > [“I knew how to block out my issues in a sprint, but in marathons I ran out of gas. Consistency became a critical problem.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/josh-waitzkin/i-knew-how-to-block-out-my-issues-in-a-sprint-but-in-marathons-i-ran/) [Josh Waitzkin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/josh-waitzkin/) > [There are a few moments in every game when I will have to sprint and use my explosiveness to win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-krieger/there-are-a-few-moments-in-every-game-when-i-will-have-to-sprint-and/) [Ali Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-krieger/) > [Any Scrum without working product at the end of a sprint is a failed Scrum.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeff-sutherland/any-scrum-without-working-product-at-the-end-of-a-sprint-is-a-failed/) [Jeff Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeff-sutherland/) ## More by James Agee > [By some chance, here they are, all on this earth; and who shall ever tell the sorrow of being on this earth, lying, on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/by-some-chance-here-they-are-all-on-this-earth-and-who-shall-ever/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [The camera seems to me, next to unassisted and weaponless consciousness, the central instrument of our time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/the-camera-seems-to-me-next-to-unassisted-and-weaponless/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [“Yes, for every child, rich or poor, there's a time of running through a dark place; and there's no word for a child's fear,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/yes-for-every-child-rich-or-poor-there-s-a-time-of-running-through-a/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [“Kate, the mother of thirteen, is forty-nine; delicately made; her skin creamlike where the weather has not got at it. 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It's nice to learn fast but it's nice to take your time too.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/well-now-some-people-learn-a-little-quicker-than-others-it-s-nice-to/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [The artist's task is not to alter the world as the eye sees it into a world of aesthetic reality, but to perceive the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/the-artist-s-task-is-not-to-alter-the-world-as-the-eye-sees-it-into-a/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [Understanding, and action proceeding from understanding and guided by it, is one weapon against the world's bombardment, the one medicine, the one instrument by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/understanding-and-action-proceeding-from-understanding-and-guided-by/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [This continent, an open palm spread frank before the sky.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/this-continent-an-open-palm-spread-frank-before-the-sky/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [You've got to bear it in mind that nobody that ever lived is specially privileged; the axe can fall at any moment, on any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/you-ve-got-to-bear-it-in-mind-that-nobody-that-ever-lived-is/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) > [He used this great, sad, motionless face to suggest various related things: a one-track mind near the track's end of pure insanity; mulish imperturbability…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-agee/he-used-this-great-sad-motionless-face-to-suggest-various-related/) [James Agee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) [Explore all 75 James Agee quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-agee/) ## More Cop quotes > [You're getting into some kind of shape, cop." Aw, come on, now." Butch grinned. "Don't let that shower we took go to your head."…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/j-r-ward/you-re-getting-into-some-kind-of-shape-cop-aw-come-on-now-butch/) [J.R. Ward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/j-r-ward/) > [In France they spend six months training policemen, then they give them a gun and put them on the streets, and I don't know…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mathieu-kassovitz/in-france-they-spend-six-months-training-policemen-then-they-give/) [Mathieu Kassovitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mathieu-kassovitz/) > [I've framed houses, worked on an asphalt crew, I was a cop, a lifeguard.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/forrest-griffin/i-ve-framed-houses-worked-on-an-asphalt-crew-i-was-a-cop-a-lifeguard/) [Forrest Griffin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/forrest-griffin/) > [I never write Metropolis for seven cents because I can get the same price for city. I never write policeman because I can get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-twain/i-never-write-metropolis-for-seven-cents-because-i-can-get-the-same/) [Mark Twain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-twain/) > [I always wanted to be a fireman, a cop, an Indian chief, a doctor, a lawyer. I always wanted to be all these things,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/morgan-freeman/i-always-wanted-to-be-a-fireman-a-cop-an-indian-chief-a-doctor-a/) [Morgan Freeman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/morgan-freeman/) > [I think that one of the hardest things in the world to be is a black male. I mean everyone hates your guts. White…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/i-think-that-one-of-the-hardest-things-in-the-world-to-be-is-a-black/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I somewhere along the way became fascinated with exploring characters who are willing to put themselves into violent situations, whether it's football, hockey, boxing,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-berg/i-somewhere-along-the-way-became-fascinated-with-exploring-characters/) [Peter Berg](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-berg/) > [I will be known forever as the Puppy who chased a cutpurse and caught fish garbage instead. My descendants will pretend I'm not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tamora-pierce/i-will-be-known-forever-as-the-puppy-who-chased-a-cutpurse-and-caught/) [Tamora Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tamora-pierce/) > [I'm very proud of being Italian-American, but people don't realize that the mafia is just this aberration. The real community is built on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chazz-palminteri/i-m-very-proud-of-being-italian-american-but-people-don-t-realize/) [Chazz Palminteri](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chazz-palminteri/) > [Rita folded her arms around herself and peered up at me. “If you’d asked me three months ago I’d have said you were hitting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/c-e-murphy/rita-folded-her-arms-around-herself-and-peered-up-at-me-if-you-d/) [C.E. Murphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/c-e-murphy/) > [Everyone wants to be part of the 99%, even the cops are like, "No, no, man. I'm part of the 99% too." No one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-drooker/everyone-wants-to-be-part-of-the-99-even-the-cops-are-like-no-no-man/) [Eric Drooker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-drooker/) > [It's sad that women characters have lost so much ground in popular movies. 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