--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Jock Semple and I were at daggers drawn…" description: "\"Jock Semple and I were at daggers drawn for five years, even though I kind of forgave him from the get-go. I knew he was an over-stressed race director..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/kathrine-switzer-19573_boston_jock-semple-and-i-were-at-daggers-drawn_1506268.jpg" --- # Jock Semple and I were at daggers drawn for five years… ![“Jock Semple and I were at daggers drawn for five years, even though I kind of forgave him from the get-go. I knew he was an over-stressed race director, I knew he was protecting his race. It took five years because we had to do our homework - meaning we women - we did our legislative work and we…” quote by Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/kathrine-switzer-19573_boston_jock-semple-and-i-were-at-daggers-drawn_1506268.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/kathrine-switzer-19573_boston_jock-semple-and-i-were-at-daggers-drawn_1506268.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/941/kathrine-switzer-19573_boston_jock-semple-and-i-were-at-daggers-drawn_1506268.jpg) > “Jock Semple and I were at daggers drawn for five years, even though I kind of forgave him from the get-go. I knew he was an over-stressed race director, I knew he was protecting his race. It took five years because we had to do our homework - meaning we women - we did our legislative work and we officially got into the Boston Marathon. Then, all was forgiven by Jock Semple.” [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A prolonged conflict was resolved after persistent effort and strategic advocacy, allowing women to officially enter the race. **In simple terms:** Persistence and advocacy overcame opposition. Key Takeaway Keep advocating for inclusion. Themes gender equality sports activism Mood determined hopeful Type historical inspirational When to use this quote - marathon registration - women's sports - legislative lobbying - community organizing Key Concepts institutional resistance policy change Questions to Reflect On - What barriers still exist for women in sports? - How can allies support lasting change? A Different Perspective Opposition may persist despite legal victories. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Boston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boston/) [Boston marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boston-marathon/) [Daggers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/daggers/) [Directors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/directors/) [Five](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five/) [Five years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/five-years/) [Forgave Knew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgave-knew-1449854/) [Forgiven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/forgiven/) [Homework](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/homework/) [Jock Semple](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jock-semple-3096612/) [Jocks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/jocks/) [Kind](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kind/) [Marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marathon/) [Marathon Forgiven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marathon-forgiven-5534759/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Race Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race-took-5149283/) [Stressed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/stressed/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) ## Related quotes > [A picture, of Jock Semple kissed me,appeared in The New York Times the next day after Boston Marathon in 1973, and the caption was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/a-picture-of-jock-semple-kissed-me-appeared-in-the-new-york-times-the/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Jock Semple and I began appearing at speeches together and he came up to me on the start line in 1973 and planted a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/jock-semple-and-i-began-appearing-at-speeches-together-and-he-came-up/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Most people don't know this but over the course of time, the official of the race in 1967 in Boston, who attacked me Jock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/most-people-don-t-know-this-but-over-the-course-of-time-the-official/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Here's to the man who rode the race, who took the time, who kept the time, and who did the trick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-disraeli/here-s-to-the-man-who-rode-the-race-who-took-the-time-who-kept-the/) [Benjamin Disraeli](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/benjamin-disraeli/) > [“You forgave me in a dream the other night. The more you told me it was alright, the worse I felt. I know that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/you-forgave-me-in-a-dream-the-other-night-the-more-you-told-me-it-was/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [Jock Semple said "Oh the women ran well today the Boston Marathon and they deserve to be in the race." I had to laugh.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/jock-semple-said-oh-the-women-ran-well-today-the-boston-marathon-and/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [What I've done in this older part of my life is I started foundation called 261 Fearless, named after my old ,1967 Boston Marathon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/what-i-ve-done-in-this-older-part-of-my-life-is-i-started-foundation/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [When I go to the Boston Marathon now, I have wet shoulders—women fall into my arms crying. They're weeping for joy because running has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/when-i-go-to-the-boston-marathon-now-i-have-wet-shoulders-women-fall/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [At the finish line of the 1967 Boston Marathon, one crabby journalist said it was just a one-off deal and women weren't going to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/at-the-finish-line-of-the-1967-boston-marathon-one-crabby-journalist/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Until we fully understand what turned two brothers who allegedly perpetrated the Boston Marathon bombings into murderers, it is hard to make any policy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-friedman/until-we-fully-understand-what-turned-two-brothers-who-allegedly/) [Thomas Friedman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-friedman/) > [Those 2 Terrorist who bomb the Boston Marathon, kill innocent people, damage ordinary people like me and you, just because of there hate for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-rambharack/those-2-terrorist-who-bomb-the-boston-marathon-kill-innocent-people/) [Glen Rambharack](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-rambharack/) > [There is a unique energy surrounding the Boston Marathon that you can't help but feel. It includes every runner and every person along the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-hastings/there-is-a-unique-energy-surrounding-the-boston-marathon-that-you-can/) [Amy Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-hastings/) > [“I'm the only person I know who has slept through a fire drill. Apparently, I pulled the alarm. Yeah, I sleepwalk. Sometimes I sleep…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/i-m-the-only-person-i-know-who-has-slept-through-a-fire-drill/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [There was no way to lock down, or tighten up, or Fail-Safe into Security Theater a race that covers 26.2 miles, a race that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-pierce/there-was-no-way-to-lock-down-or-tighten-up-or-fail-safe-into/) [Charlie Pierce](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-pierce/) > [We can never completely prevent another tragedy like the Boston Marathon attacks from happening. But every American should ask themselves if their community is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-o-malley/we-can-never-completely-prevent-another-tragedy-like-the-boston/) [Martin O'Malley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-o-malley/) ## More by Kathrine Switzer > [If you feel positive, you have a sense of hope. If you have hope, you can have courage.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/if-you-feel-positive-you-have-a-sense-of-hope-if-you-have-hope-you/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Five years after Boston 1967, I went to the Munich Olympics. I realized that major sponsorship could help me create the opportunity. I wrote…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/five-years-after-boston-1967-i-went-to-the-munich-olympics-i-realized/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [A lack of forgiveness is a waste of time and it's very enriching to forgive and move on but those are things that come…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/a-lack-of-forgiveness-is-a-waste-of-time-and-it-s-very-enriching-to/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [I could feel my anger dissipating as the miles went by--you can't run and stay mad!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/i-could-feel-my-anger-dissipating-as-the-miles-went-by-you-can-t-run/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [There is an expression among even the most advanced runners that getting your shoes on is the hardest part of any workout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/there-is-an-expression-among-even-the-most-advanced-runners-that/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Most people don't know this but over the course of time, the official of the race in 1967 in Boston, who attacked me Jock…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/most-people-don-t-know-this-but-over-the-course-of-time-the-official/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [When I was first running marathons, we were sailing on a flat earth. We were afraid we'd get big legs, grow mustaches, not get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/when-i-was-first-running-marathons-we-were-sailing-on-a-flat-earth-we/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Women were afraid and they would never even imagine running a marathon in 1967.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/women-were-afraid-and-they-would-never-even-imagine-running-a/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [I organized this global series of races. The data from those races, along with the tremendous amount of lobbying and meetings with federations, convinced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/i-organized-this-global-series-of-races-the-data-from-those-races/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [I don't have any kids of my own, quite by choice. There are two reasons for that. One, I had a sense of obligation…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/i-don-t-have-any-kids-of-my-own-quite-by-choice-there-are-two-reasons/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [If you are losing faith in human nature, go out and watch a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/if-you-are-losing-faith-in-human-nature-go-out-and-watch-a-marathon/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [I said that there's going to come a day in our lives when women's running is as popular and as men's. Looking back, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/i-said-that-there-s-going-to-come-a-day-in-our-lives-when-women-s/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [When I forgave Jock Semple on Heartbreak Hill, I also got really cross with women. I couldn't understand why they didn't get it, why…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/when-i-forgave-jock-semple-on-heartbreak-hill-i-also-got-really-cross/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Life is for participating, not for spectating.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/life-is-for-participating-not-for-spectating/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) > [Women is out because she's getting in her daily dose of empowerment, freedom and fearlessness. She has put on her freedom wings for 20…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/women-is-out-because-she-s-getting-in-her-daily-dose-of-empowerment/) [Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) [Explore all 32 Kathrine Switzer quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathrine-switzer/) ## More Boston quotes > [From Augustine down, theologians have tried to compel people to accept their special interpretation of the Scripture, and the tortures of the inquisition, the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matilda-joslyn-gage/from-augustine-down-theologians-have-tried-to-compel-people-to-accept/) [Matilda Joslyn Gage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matilda-joslyn-gage/) > [I'm a big fan of all the Boston guys that are acting - Matt Damon , Ben Affleck, Mark Wahlberg - they made a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-wormald/i-m-a-big-fan-of-all-the-boston-guys-that-are-acting-matt-damon-ben/) [Kenny Wormald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-wormald/) > [“Mom, I live in the South End, not South Boston. They are entirely different neighborhoods.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-swanson-goodreads-author/mom-i-live-in-the-south-end-not-south-boston-they-are-entirely/) [Peter Swanson (Goodreads Author](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-swanson-goodreads-author/) > [I think there are four or five interesting pockets where a lot of cool technology companies are getting started. Chicago is one of them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-lefkofsky/i-think-there-are-four-or-five-interesting-pockets-where-a-lot-of/) [Eric Lefkofsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-lefkofsky/) > [I love cooking but I still always go and sneak a little bit of sides from Boston Market, and it's so good. They're so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kate-walsh/i-love-cooking-but-i-still-always-go-and-sneak-a-little-bit-of-sides/) [Kate Walsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kate-walsh/) > [Boston is one of my favorite places to wrestle.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rikishi/boston-is-one-of-my-favorite-places-to-wrestle/) [Rikishi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rikishi/) > [I ain't got no problem in Boston, I especially like the attention. I know that I'm one of the top guys in this game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/manny-ramirez/i-ain-t-got-no-problem-in-boston-i-especially-like-the-attention-i/) [Manny Ramirez](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/manny-ramirez/) > [I lived to play basketball. Growing up as a kid, Bill Russell and the Boston Celtics were my favorite team. The way they played,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-walton/i-lived-to-play-basketball-growing-up-as-a-kid-bill-russell-and-the/) [Bill Walton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-walton/) > [The success of Boston's economy is intertwined with the health and well-being of every neighborhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michelle-wu/the-success-of-boston-s-economy-is-intertwined-with-the-health-and/) [Michelle Wu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michelle-wu/) > [2004 was a great year for Boston! The Patriots won the Super Bowl! Boston hosted its first national political convention! And - the Red…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-menino/2004-was-a-great-year-for-boston-the-patriots-won-the-super-bowl/) [Thomas Menino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-menino/) > [ It was when Boston invited us to do a parade one November, and I was the only \[Star Wars\] cast member skeptical of the… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ratzenberger/it-was-when-boston-invited-us-to-do-a-parade-one-november-and-i-was/) [John Ratzenberger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ratzenberger/) > [Now I have been studying very closely what happens every day in the courts in Boston, Massachusetts. You would be astounded--maybe you wouldn't, maybe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/howard-zinn/now-i-have-been-studying-very-closely-what-happens-every-day-in-the/) [Howard Zinn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/howard-zinn/) > [Boston's justice system is in serious need of reform. Many of its policies and practices are antiquated, expensive, and don't really even make Boston…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shaun-king/boston-s-justice-system-is-in-serious-need-of-reform-many-of-its/) [Shaun King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shaun-king/) > [I grew up outside of Boston in a town called Manchester by the Sea, and we spent our summers in Nantucket.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nat-faxon/i-grew-up-outside-of-boston-in-a-town-called-manchester-by-the-sea/) [Nat Faxon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nat-faxon/) > [Priests, like all of us, are affected by culture, ... When the culture is sick, every element in it becomes infected. While it is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-santorum/priests-like-all-of-us-are-affected-by-culture-when-the-culture-is/) [Rick Santorum](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-santorum/) [Browse all 787 Boston quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/boston/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Jock Semple and I were at daggers drawn for five years, even though I kind of forgave him from the get-go. I knew he was an over-stressed race director, I knew he was protecting his race. It took five years because we had to do our homework - meaning we women - we did our legislative work and we officially got into the Boston Marathon. 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