--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: When I forgave Jock Semple on Heartbreak…" description: "\"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 they didn't know t..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/kathrine-switzer-19573_be-you_when-i-forgave-jock-semple-on-heartbreak_1180254.jpg" --- # When I forgave Jock Semple on Heartbreak Hill, I also got… ![“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 they didn't know that running was so cool and why they weren't in the race as well. Then I thought to myself "How stupid can you be? You've had so much encouragement…” quote by Kathrine Switzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/kathrine-switzer-19573_be-you_when-i-forgave-jock-semple-on-heartbreak_1180254.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/kathrine-switzer-19573_be-you_when-i-forgave-jock-semple-on-heartbreak_1180254.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a3d/kathrine-switzer-19573_be-you_when-i-forgave-jock-semple-on-heartbreak_1180254.jpg) > “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 they didn't know that running was so cool and why they weren't in the race as well. Then I thought to myself "How stupid can you be? You've had so much encouragement and motivation and these women haven't."” [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. The narrator reflects on frustration toward women who lack enthusiasm for running, questioning their motivation despite personal encouragement. **In simple terms:** Frustration over perceived lack of interest in running. Key Takeaway Encourage inclusive support rather than blame. Themes sports gender motivation frustration Mood reflective critical Type inspirational analytical When to use this quote - marathon training - community building - coaching Key Concepts self‑reflection social expectations Questions to Reflect On - Why might some feel excluded from running? - How can we foster broader participation? A Different Perspective Assuming disinterest ignores systemic barriers. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Encouragement](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/encouragement/) [Hills](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hills/) [Motivation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/motivation/) [Race](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/race/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [I forgave Jock Semple his action on Boston race just around the time I got to Heartbreak Hill. 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For one thing, I thought it stupid of her to appear to believe or to wish other people to believe that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marcel-proust/i-remained-serious-for-one-thing-i-thought-it-stupid-of-her-to-appear/) [Marcel Proust](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marcel-proust/) > [Once I was lost every one thought I was stupid,but I knew it happens only once and only in love, for me it happened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ganda-wickliffe/once-i-was-lost-every-one-thought-i-was-stupid-but-i-knew-it-happens/) [Ganda Wickliffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ganda-wickliffe/) > [“Formerly, when I was told to consider him wise, I kept trying to, and thought I was stupid myself because I was unable to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/formerly-when-i-was-told-to-consider-him-wise-i-kept-trying-to-and/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Traveling across the United States, it's easy to see why Americans are often thought of as stupid. At the San Diego Zoo, right near…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/traveling-across-the-united-states-it-s-easy-to-see-why-americans-are-2/) [David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/) > [“No thought is a stupid thought, those who are thoughtless are thought of as stupid.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nate-spears/no-thought-is-a-stupid-thought-those-who-are-thoughtless-are-thought/) [Nate Spears](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nate-spears/) > [Better to be thought stupid than to speak and remove all doubt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nikhil-saluja/better-to-be-thought-stupid-than-to-speak-and-remove-all-doubt/) [Nikhil Saluja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nikhil-saluja/) > [Often if you don't speak up, whatever you thought was stupid to say some man would say and then everyone would say 'as he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/often-if-you-don-t-speak-up-whatever-you-thought-was-stupid-to-say/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [This is why Indians are thought to be stupid. They can't think, they don't know anything, they say. But we have hidden our identity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rigoberta-menchu/this-is-why-indians-are-thought-to-be-stupid-they-can-t-think-they/) [Rigoberta Menchu](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rigoberta-menchu/) > [“No intelligent idea can gain general acceptance unless some stupidity is mixed in with it. Collective thought is stupid because it’s collective. Nothing passes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fernando-pessoa/no-intelligent-idea-can-gain-general-acceptance-unless-some-stupidity/) [Fernando Pessoa](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fernando-pessoa/) > [I absolutely want to go back to the America where women couldn't vote.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-robinson/i-absolutely-want-to-go-back-to-the-america-where-women-couldn-t-vote/) [Mark Robinson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-robinson/) > [The View?! seriously? SO amazing and such an honor to meet those women. I couldn't walk in those heels though.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lucy-hale/the-view-seriously-so-amazing-and-such-an-honor-to-meet-those-women-i/) [Lucy Hale](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lucy-hale/) > [Looking back to when I joined, some areas of policing were barred for women. So you couldn't do full public order training, you couldn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cressida-dick/looking-back-to-when-i-joined-some-areas-of-policing-were-barred-for/) [Cressida Dick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cressida-dick/) ## 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/) > [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/) > [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…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathrine-switzer/jock-semple-and-i-were-at-daggers-drawn-for-five-years-even-though-i/) [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 Be you quotes > [I just think music is one of those frontiers where people really want the "I" to be you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/regina-spektor/i-just-think-music-is-one-of-those-frontiers-where-people-really-want/) [Regina Spektor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/regina-spektor/) > [“You go into extinction by being obsessed about becoming something else and then travelling in the wrong car while your real self keeps waiting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/israelmore-ayivor/you-go-into-extinction-by-being-obsessed-about-becoming-something/) [Israelmore Ayivor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/israelmore-ayivor/) > [If you can't love yourself, how in the hell you gonna love somebody else?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rupaul/if-you-can-t-love-yourself-how-in-the-hell-you-gonna-love-somebody/) [RuPaul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rupaul/) > [When you are not honoring the present moment by allowing it to be, you are creating drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eckhart-tolle/when-you-are-not-honoring-the-present-moment-by-allowing-it-to-be-you/) [Eckhart Tolle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eckhart-tolle/) > [No matter how beautiful a woman might be, you're always threatened by certain... You're always threatened by](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolly-parton/no-matter-how-beautiful-a-woman-might-be-you-re-always-threatened-by/) [Dolly Parton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolly-parton/) > [Be comfortable; be you. Whats most important is to understand what suits your body type and personality. Stick to that, and you cant go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sonakshi-sinha/be-comfortable-be-you-whats-most-important-is-to-understand-what/) [Sonakshi Sinha](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sonakshi-sinha/) > [Strong families use the word "we" a lot, but "I" is never forgotten. Family members know they have the freedom to go off on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joyce-brothers/strong-families-use-the-word-we-a-lot-but-i-is-never-forgotten-family/) [Joyce Brothers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joyce-brothers/) > [There is no future and there is no past, there never has been, there never will be. You just think there is. It's not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frederick-lenz/there-is-no-future-and-there-is-no-past-there-never-has-been-there/) [Frederick Lenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frederick-lenz/) > [Acting is not a state of being ... but a state of appearing to be. You can't be eight times a week without going…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noel-coward/acting-is-not-a-state-of-being-but-a-state-of-appearing-to-be-you-can/) [Noel Coward](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noel-coward/) > [It doesn't have the ability to think rationally this economic model. It thinks like a drug addict: 'Where can I get my next fix?'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/naomi-klein/it-doesn-t-have-the-ability-to-think-rationally-this-economic-model/) [Naomi Klein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/naomi-klein/) > [the myth of childhood happiness flourishes so wildly not because it satisfies the needs of children but because it satisfies the needs of adults.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shulamith-firestone/the-myth-of-childhood-happiness-flourishes-so-wildly-not-because-it/) [Shulamith Firestone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shulamith-firestone/) > [Go forth in peace, for you have followed the good road. Go forth without fear, for he who created you has made you holy,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clare-of-assisi/go-forth-in-peace-for-you-have-followed-the-good-road-go-forth/) [Clare of Assisi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clare-of-assisi/) > [I've never forgotten a word of advice my father gave to me. 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