--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I think animation is like running a…" description: "\"I think animation is like running a marathon, and making a movie is like a 100 meter sprint. The question is: are you a marathon man or are you a sprin..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/marjane-satrapi-1702_animation_i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-mara_2148172.jpg" --- # I think animation is like running a marathon, and making a… ![“I think animation is like running a marathon, and making a movie is like a 100 meter sprint. The question is: are you a marathon man or are you a sprinter? I realized that I was more of a sprinter than a marathon man. With a long, long project, I get bored easily.” quote by Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/marjane-satrapi-1702_animation_i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-mara_2148172.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/marjane-satrapi-1702_animation_i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-mara_2148172.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/marjane-satrapi-1702_animation_i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-mara_2148172.jpg) > “I think animation is like running a marathon, and making a movie is like a 100 meter sprint. The question is: are you a marathon man or are you a sprinter? I realized that I was more of a sprinter than a marathon man. With a long, long project, I get bored easily.” [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Comparing animation and filmmaking to endurance sports highlights personal work style preferences. **In simple terms:** Animation is a marathon, movies are sprints. Key Takeaway Choose work that matches your stamina. Themes creativity work style motivation Mood reflective determined Type advice personal insight When to use this quote - long‑term projects - short films - team collaboration - deadline pressure Key Concepts project management psychology focus Questions to Reflect On - Do you thrive on quick wins or long challenges? - How can you balance both? A Different Perspective May overlook the value of sustained effort in large projects. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Animation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) [Bored](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bored/) [Marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marathon/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Movie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/movie/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) [Running A Marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-a-marathon/) [Running marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-marathon/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) ## Related quotes > [It's such a marathon making a film - two-and-a-half years, at least - and every day, you do something that in any other lifetime…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gareth-edwards/it-s-such-a-marathon-making-a-film-two-and-a-half-years-at-least-and/) [Gareth Edwards](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gareth-edwards/) > [I realized that I was more of a sprinter than a marathon man. With a long, long project, I get bored easily.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-realized-that-i-was-more-of-a-sprinter-than-a-marathon-man-with-a/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I think the animation helps divorce the violence from reality. The sex certainly doesn't look all that realistic. I think the fact that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-reed/i-think-the-animation-helps-divorce-the-violence-from-reality-the-sex/) [Adam Reed](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-reed/) > [Sometimes the theme of the film is something that comes down to the way you designed the film - that you're saying something about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/travis-knight/sometimes-the-theme-of-the-film-is-something-that-comes-down-to-the/) [Travis Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/travis-knight/) > [I think 2-D animation disappeared from Disney because they made so many uninteresting films. They became very conservative in the way they created them.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hayao-miyazaki/i-think-2-d-animation-disappeared-from-disney-because-they-made-so/) [Hayao Miyazaki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hayao-miyazaki/) > [Since my fried left me,I've got nothing to do but walking.I walk to forget.I walk,I escape,I get further.My friend will not come back,now I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shel-silverstein/since-my-fried-left-me-i-ve-got-nothing-to-do-but-walking-i-walk-to/) [Shel Silverstein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shel-silverstein/) > [In some ways, I feel like the strength of animation is in its simplicity and caricature, and in reduction. It's like an Al Hirschfeld…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pete-docter/in-some-ways-i-feel-like-the-strength-of-animation-is-in-its/) [Pete Docter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pete-docter/) > [William Goldman's Marathon Man was a novel that taught me about suspense. I was maybe 16 years old when I read it and I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/william-goldman-s-marathon-man-was-a-novel-that-taught-me-about/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [I think animation can tell more than live action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/makoto-shinkai/i-think-animation-can-tell-more-than-live-action/) [Makoto Shinkai](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/makoto-shinkai/) > [I think animation is a very truthful way to express your thoughts, because the process is very direct. That's what I've always liked about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michel-gondry/i-think-animation-is-a-very-truthful-way-to-express-your-thoughts/) [Michel Gondry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michel-gondry/) > [I think Dustin Hoffman has been in at least three of my favorite movies of all time with things like 'Tootsie,' 'Marathon Man.' Getting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ricky-gervais/i-think-dustin-hoffman-has-been-in-at-least-three-of-my-favorite/) [Ricky Gervais](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ricky-gervais/) > [You can't think of animation as anything less than a performance and a show.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/you-can-t-think-of-animation-as-anything-less-than-a-performance-and/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [The book I always say that influenced me, subconsciously, because at the time I didn't know I wanted to be a writer, was William…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harlan-coben/the-book-i-always-say-that-influenced-me-subconsciously-because-at/) [Harlan Coben](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harlan-coben/) > [“I don't know that you'll understand this, but once upon a time, long ago, I was a scholar and a marathon man, but that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-goldman/i-don-t-know-that-you-ll-understand-this-but-once-upon-a-time-long/) [William Goldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-goldman/) > [I used to think that animation was about moving stuff. In order to make it really great, you bounce it, squash it, stretch it,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glen-keane/i-used-to-think-that-animation-was-about-moving-stuff-in-order-to/) [Glen Keane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/glen-keane/) ## More by Marjane Satrapi > [I became the voice of a generation in a very surprising way, because many Iranians recognize themselves in it. But that is not what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-became-the-voice-of-a-generation-in-a-very-surprising-way-because/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [With live-action I think we'd have lost the universal appeal of the Persepolis story. With live-action, it would have turned into a story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/with-live-action-i-think-we-d-have-lost-the-universal-appeal-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I don't like the word 'autobiography.' I rather like the term 'autofiction.' The second you make a script out of the story of your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-like-the-word-autobiography-i-rather-like-the-term/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I don't think that I have ever been rebellious. The thing is that I don't believe in people - what people tell me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-don-t-think-that-i-have-ever-been-rebellious-the-thing-is-that-i/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [Drawing is the first language of the human being before writing. It's a transcription of how the human being sees reality, not reality itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/drawing-is-the-first-language-of-the-human-being-before-writing-it-s/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I was a westerner in Iran, an Iranian in the West. I had no identity. I didn't even know anymore why I was living.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-was-a-westerner-in-iran-an-iranian-in-the-west-i-had-no-identity-i/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I'm not a politician. I don't know how to solve the problems of the world. But as an artist, I have one duty: to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-m-not-a-politician-i-don-t-know-how-to-solve-the-problems-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [A cat can never be well-trained because they're too independent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/a-cat-can-never-be-well-trained-because-they-re-too-independent/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [It's fear that makes us lose our conscience. It's also what transforms us into cowards.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/it-s-fear-that-makes-us-lose-our-conscience-it-s-also-what-transforms/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I am absolutely not a feminist, I am against stupidity, and if it comes from males or females, it doesn't change anything. If it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-am-absolutely-not-a-feminist-i-am-against-stupidity-and-if-it-comes/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I was a child who had a life, who had hopes, and I wished that a bomb would not fall on my head.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-was-a-child-who-had-a-life-who-had-hopes-and-i-wished-that-a-bomb/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [There are things that I love in Iranian cinema and things that I don't. In Iranian cinema, you have to use metaphor because you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/there-are-things-that-i-love-in-iranian-cinema-and-things-that-i-don/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [I had learned that you should always shout louder than your aggressor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-had-learned-that-you-should-always-shout-louder-than-your-aggressor/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [In the West, people don't have any real problems. It's all based on bad conscience, a very Christian notion. I don't have any bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/in-the-west-people-don-t-have-any-real-problems-it-s-all-based-on-bad/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) > [When we're afraid, we lose all sense of analysis and reflection. Our fear paralyzes us. Besides, fear has always been the driving force behind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/when-we-re-afraid-we-lose-all-sense-of-analysis-and-reflection-our/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) [Explore all 204 Marjane Satrapi quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) ## More Animation quotes > [If I'm doing a voice-over session, like animation or something, and I'm doing three different voices, you've gotta separate them. You've gotta find the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-adlon/if-i-m-doing-a-voice-over-session-like-animation-or-something-and-i-m/) [Pamela Adlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-adlon/) > [I was always into cartoons and animation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nonito-donaire/i-was-always-into-cartoons-and-animation/) [Nonito Donaire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nonito-donaire/) > [What's unique about Disney Animation, many of the films have this perennial quality about them. They don't seem like old films, they still seem…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rob-minkoff/what-s-unique-about-disney-animation-many-of-the-films-have-this/) [Rob Minkoff](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rob-minkoff/) > [I was always tinkering around with stuff but nothing serious at the time. I was doing animations and drawing like crazy, but I wasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chad-vangaalen/i-was-always-tinkering-around-with-stuff-but-nothing-serious-at-the/) Chad VanGaalen > [In feature animation, cartoony or exaggerated animation is almost taboo. There is this precedent that if you do that kind of stuff people won't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/genndy-tartakovsky/in-feature-animation-cartoony-or-exaggerated-animation-is-almost/) [Genndy Tartakovsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/genndy-tartakovsky/) > [CGI has fully ruined car crashes. Because how can you be impressed with them now? When you watch them in the '70s, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/quentin-tarantino/cgi-has-fully-ruined-car-crashes-because-how-can-you-be-impressed/) [Quentin Tarantino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/quentin-tarantino/) > [To this day I over prepare. I draw storyboards for every scene - chicken scratches so crude that they amuse and horrify the crew.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-stoltz/to-this-day-i-over-prepare-i-draw-storyboards-for-every-scene-chicken/) [Eric Stoltz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-stoltz/) > [I was invited to join the MGM cartoon department. But if I'd started work in animation I'd have had to take a cut in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jack-nicholson/i-was-invited-to-join-the-mgm-cartoon-department-but-if-i-d-started/) [Jack Nicholson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jack-nicholson/) > [I took a lot of influences from Studio Ghibli, which is the Japanese animation studio that made 'Spirited Away' and 'Castle in the Sky.'…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-hewlett/i-took-a-lot-of-influences-from-studio-ghibli-which-is-the-japanese/) [Jamie Hewlett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-hewlett/) > [I've worked in animation for a long time. I started in Spain and I wanted to make feature films. That desire to figure out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/raul-garcia/i-ve-worked-in-animation-for-a-long-time-i-started-in-spain-and-i/) [Raul Garcia](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/raul-garcia/) > [If you were to look at an old 'Betty Boop' cartoon or an 'Out of the Ink Well' animation, there are many things about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fred-seibert/if-you-were-to-look-at-an-old-betty-boop-cartoon-or-an-out-of-the-ink/) [Fred Seibert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fred-seibert/) > [Animation has always been about technology. You can't have animation without technology.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-wedge/animation-has-always-been-about-technology-you-can-t-have-animation/) [Chris Wedge](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-wedge/) > [In a movie, it's often important to have aliens whose gestures and facial expressions can be 'read' by humans. And in the days before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-shostak/in-a-movie-it-s-often-important-to-have-aliens-whose-gestures-and/) [Seth Shostak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-shostak/) > [Tigress is my alternate personality, especially with children. I love animation because you get to do things you don't normally get to.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-yuh-nelson/tigress-is-my-alternate-personality-especially-with-children-i-love/) [Jennifer Yuh Nelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-yuh-nelson/) > [With live-action I think we'd have lost the universal appeal of the Persepolis story. With live-action, it would have turned into a story of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/with-live-action-i-think-we-d-have-lost-the-universal-appeal-of-the/) [Marjane Satrapi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/) [Browse all 837 Animation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/animation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I think animation is like running a marathon, and making a movie is like a 100 meter sprint. The question is: are you a marathon man or are you a sprinter? I realized that I was more of a sprinter than a marathon man. With a long, long project, I get bored easily.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Marjane Satrapi" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-marathon-and-making-a-movie-is/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Animation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-marathon-and-making-a-movie-is/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/marjane-satrapi-1702_animation_i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-mara_2148172.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/marjane-satrapi-1702_animation_i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-mara_2148172.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ff8/marjane-satrapi-1702_animation_i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-mara_2148172.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I think animation is like running a marathon, and making a movie is like a 100 meter sprint. The question…” — Marjane Satrapi", "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": "Marjane Satrapi", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marjane-satrapi/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I think animation is like running...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-marathon-and-making-a-movie-is/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marjane-satrapi/i-think-animation-is-like-running-a-marathon-and-making-a-movie-is/#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 } } ] } ```