--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Man is a distance runner as a consequence…" description: "\"Man is a distance runner as a consequence of hundreds of thousands of years of chasing antelopes, horses, elephants, wild cattle, and deer.\" — Paul She..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/paul-shepard-31396_antelopes_man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequenc_1936604.png" --- # Man is a distance runner as a consequence of hundreds of… ![“Man is a distance runner as a consequence of hundreds of thousands of years of chasing antelopes, horses, elephants, wild cattle, and deer.” quote by Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/paul-shepard-31396_antelopes_man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequenc_1936604.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/paul-shepard-31396_antelopes_man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequenc_1936604.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/paul-shepard-31396_antelopes_man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequenc_1936604.png) > “Man is a distance runner as a consequence of hundreds of thousands of years of chasing antelopes, horses, elephants, wild cattle, and deer.” [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Human running ability evolved from ancestral hunting, shaping our physiology for endurance. **In simple terms:** Running stems from ancient hunting adaptations. Key Takeaway Recognize running as a natural, evolved skill. Themes evolution human physiology endurance history anthropology Mood educational reflective Type scientific inspirational When to use this quote - Fitness training - anthropological research - sports medicine - education curricula Key Concepts adaptation energy efficiency muscle fiber composition Questions to Reflect On - How does understanding evolution affect training methods? - Can we improve health by aligning with our evolutionary design? A Different Perspective Modern lifestyles may neglect this natural capacity. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Antelopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antelopes/) [Antelopes Horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antelopes-horses-3061683/) [Cattle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cattle/) [Chasing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chasing/) [Chasing Antelopes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chasing-antelopes-3061681/) [Consequence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consequence/) [Deer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/deer/) [Distance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance/) [Distance runner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/distance-runner/) [Elephants](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/elephants/) [Endurance](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endurance/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Runner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runner/) [Runners](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/runners/) [Years](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years/) [Years Chasing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/years-chasing-3061682/) ## Related quotes > [“I spend four years chasing the guy of my dreams, finally get him, and now I have to compete with a gorgeous, twenty-year-old supernatural…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kelley-armstrong/i-spend-four-years-chasing-the-guy-of-my-dreams-finally-get-him-and/) [Kelley Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kelley-armstrong/) > [I appreciate all the people I've met through curling. It's been woven through the story of my life. But that win-at-all-costs attitude is, thankfully,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colleen-jones/i-appreciate-all-the-people-i-ve-met-through-curling-it-s-been-woven/) [Colleen Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colleen-jones/) > [Golden eagles don't mate with bald eagles, deer don't mate with antelope, gray wolves don't mate with red wolves. Just look at domesticated animals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/golden-eagles-don-t-mate-with-bald-eagles-deer-don-t-mate-with/) [Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/) > [Do not be in a hurry to rush into the pleasures of the world like the young antelope who danced herself lame when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/do-not-be-in-a-hurry-to-rush-into-the-pleasures-of-the-world-like-the/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [To me, fast food is when a cheetah eats an antelope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/to-me-fast-food-is-when-a-cheetah-eats-an-antelope/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [On the first page of the Bible there is an instance of how literalism is but an invitation to transcend the image to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sittler/on-the-first-page-of-the-bible-there-is-an-instance-of-how-literalism/) [Joseph Sittler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sittler/) > [Perhaps when we die our names are takenfrom us by a divine magnet and are freeto flutter here and there within the bodies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/perhaps-when-we-die-our-names-are-takenfrom-us-by-a-divine-magnet-and/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [If we can hump dead animals and antelopes, there's no reason that a man and another man can't elope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/if-we-can-hump-dead-animals-and-antelopes-there-s-no-reason-that-a/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [Like mighty eagle soaring light. O'er antelopes on Alpine height. The anchor heaves, the ship swings free, The sails swell full. To sea, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lovell-beddoes/like-mighty-eagle-soaring-light-o-er-antelopes-on-alpine-height-the/) [Thomas Lovell Beddoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lovell-beddoes/) > [The preponderance of South Africa is a different breed of man. I mean that with no disrespect. I say that with great respect. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/the-preponderance-of-south-africa-is-a-different-breed-of-man-i-mean/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [A man from a primitive culture who sees an automobile might guess that it was powered by the wind or by an antelope hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/a-man-from-a-primitive-culture-who-sees-an-automobile-might-guess/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [It is curious how there seems to be an instinctive disgust in Man for his nearest ancestors and relations. If only Darwin could conscientiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/it-is-curious-how-there-seems-to-be-an-instinctive-disgust-in-man-for/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [Never lose sight of an antelope for a dashing squirrel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plo-lumumba/never-lose-sight-of-an-antelope-for-a-dashing-squirrel/) [PLO Lumumba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plo-lumumba/) > [Even animals have a conscience. Those in the jungle KILL only to eat, not live to kill. This is why we often see packs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/even-animals-have-a-conscience-those-in-the-jungle-kill-only-to-eat/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [All flesh is one: what matter scores; Or color of the suit Or if the helmet glints with blue or gold? All is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/all-flesh-is-one-what-matter-scores-or-color-of-the-suit-or-if-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) ## More by Paul Shepard > [The natural world is not only a set of constraints but of contexts within which we can more fully realize our dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/the-natural-world-is-not-only-a-set-of-constraints-but-of-contexts/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [Men are born human. What they must learn is to be an animal. If they learn otherwise it may kill them, and kill life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/men-are-born-human-what-they-must-learn-is-to-be-an-animal-if-they/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [When men do not run they are likely to die prematurely from dysfunction of the heart and vascular systems or from disabling chronic disease.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/when-men-do-not-run-they-are-likely-to-die-prematurely-from/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [To the desert go profits and hermits, through deserts go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/to-the-desert-go-profits-and-hermits-through-deserts-go-pilgrims-and/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [Who would want to live in a world that is just not quite fatal?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/who-would-want-to-live-in-a-world-that-is-just-not-quite-fatal/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [All around us, aspects of the modern world - diet, exercise, medicine, art, work, family, philosophy, economics, ecology, psychology - have begun a long…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/all-around-us-aspects-of-the-modern-world-diet-exercise-medicine-art/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [ The human cardiovascular system evolved as part of the physiology of \[prehistoric\] hunters, who ran for their lives. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/the-human-cardiovascular-system-evolved-as-part-of-the-physiology-of/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [Careless of waste, wallowing in refuse, exterminating the enemies . . . despising age, denying human natural history, fabricating pseudotraditions, swamped in the repeated…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/careless-of-waste-wallowing-in-refuse-exterminating-the-enemies/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [The desert sky is encircling, majestic, terrible.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/the-desert-sky-is-encircling-majestic-terrible/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [There is a secret person undamaged in every individual.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/there-is-a-secret-person-undamaged-in-every-individual/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [“To the desert go prophets and hermits; through desert go pilgrims and exiles. Here the leaders of the great religions have sought the therapeutic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/to-the-desert-go-prophets-and-hermits-through-desert-go-pilgrims-and/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [“But it was probably long before anyone thought of pottery that the river was first perceived as a metaphor of destiny, the "clan river"…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/but-it-was-probably-long-before-anyone-thought-of-pottery-that-the/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [Men ran after and ate horses for four hundred thousand years. The outcome is more than a love of horse flesh; it is a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/men-ran-after-and-ate-horses-for-four-hundred-thousand-years-the/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) > [“How are we to become native to this land?" (as quoted in Trespass: Living at the Edge of the Promised Land by Amy Irvine)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/how-are-we-to-become-native-to-this-land-as-quoted-in-trespass-living/) [Paul Shepard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) [Explore all 15 Paul Shepard quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/) ## More Antelopes quotes > [Golden eagles don't mate with bald eagles, deer don't mate with antelope, gray wolves don't mate with red wolves. Just look at domesticated animals,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-means/golden-eagles-don-t-mate-with-bald-eagles-deer-don-t-mate-with/) [Russell Means](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-means/) > [Even animals have a conscience. Those in the jungle KILL only to eat, not live to kill. This is why we often see packs…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzy-kassem/even-animals-have-a-conscience-those-in-the-jungle-kill-only-to-eat/) [Suzy Kassem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzy-kassem/) > [Never lose sight of an antelope for a dashing squirrel.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plo-lumumba/never-lose-sight-of-an-antelope-for-a-dashing-squirrel/) [PLO Lumumba](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plo-lumumba/) > [It is curious how there seems to be an instinctive disgust in Man for his nearest ancestors and relations. If only Darwin could conscientiously…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/havelock-ellis/it-is-curious-how-there-seems-to-be-an-instinctive-disgust-in-man-for/) [Havelock Ellis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/havelock-ellis/) > [A man from a primitive culture who sees an automobile might guess that it was powered by the wind or by an antelope hidden…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-behe/a-man-from-a-primitive-culture-who-sees-an-automobile-might-guess/) [Michael Behe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-behe/) > [The preponderance of South Africa is a different breed of man. I mean that with no disrespect. I say that with great respect. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ted-nugent/the-preponderance-of-south-africa-is-a-different-breed-of-man-i-mean/) [Ted Nugent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ted-nugent/) > [Like mighty eagle soaring light. O'er antelopes on Alpine height. The anchor heaves, the ship swings free, The sails swell full. To sea, to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-lovell-beddoes/like-mighty-eagle-soaring-light-o-er-antelopes-on-alpine-height-the/) [Thomas Lovell Beddoes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-lovell-beddoes/) > [If we can hump dead animals and antelopes, there's no reason that a man and another man can't elope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eminem/if-we-can-hump-dead-animals-and-antelopes-there-s-no-reason-that-a/) [Eminem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eminem/) > [Perhaps when we die our names are takenfrom us by a divine magnet and are freeto flutter here and there within the bodies of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harrison/perhaps-when-we-die-our-names-are-takenfrom-us-by-a-divine-magnet-and/) [Jim Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harrison/) > [On the first page of the Bible there is an instance of how literalism is but an invitation to transcend the image to which…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-sittler/on-the-first-page-of-the-bible-there-is-an-instance-of-how-literalism/) [Joseph Sittler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-sittler/) > [To me, fast food is when a cheetah eats an antelope.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-carlin/to-me-fast-food-is-when-a-cheetah-eats-an-antelope/) [George Carlin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-carlin/) > [Do not be in a hurry to rush into the pleasures of the world like the young antelope who danced herself lame when the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chinua-achebe/do-not-be-in-a-hurry-to-rush-into-the-pleasures-of-the-world-like-the/) [Chinua Achebe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chinua-achebe/) > [All flesh is one: what matter scores; Or color of the suit Or if the helmet glints with blue or gold? All is one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ray-bradbury/all-flesh-is-one-what-matter-scores-or-color-of-the-suit-or-if-the/) [Ray Bradbury](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ray-bradbury/) > [Lions cannot afford to hunt mice because they literally will starve to death, even if they catch them. Lions and all large carnivores have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/newt-gingrich/lions-cannot-afford-to-hunt-mice-because-they-literally-will-starve/) [Newt Gingrich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/newt-gingrich/) > [“I’m really not certain about threatening people with antelopes ...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terry-pratchett/i-m-really-not-certain-about-threatening-people-with-antelopes/) [Terry Pratchett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terry-pratchett/) [Browse all 17 Antelopes quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/antelopes/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Man is a distance runner as a consequence of hundreds of thousands of years of chasing antelopes, horses, elephants, wild cattle, and deer.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Paul Shepard" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequence-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Antelopes" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequence-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/paul-shepard-31396_antelopes_man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequenc_1936604.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/paul-shepard-31396_antelopes_man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequenc_1936604.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/607/paul-shepard-31396_antelopes_man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequenc_1936604.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Man is a distance runner as a consequence of hundreds of thousands of years of chasing antelopes, horses…” — Paul Shepard", "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": "Paul Shepard", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-shepard/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Man is a distance runner as...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequence-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-shepard/man-is-a-distance-runner-as-a-consequence-of-hundreds-of-thousands-of/#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 } } ] } ```