--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The only way I'll ever run a marathon is…" description: "\"The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.\" — Sally Phillips" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/sally-phillips-12985_administration_the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is_15880.png" --- # The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved… ![“The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.” quote by Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/sally-phillips-12985_administration_the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is_15880.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/sally-phillips-12985_administration_the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is_15880.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/sally-phillips-12985_administration_the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is_15880.png) > “The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.” [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. The speaker suggests they will only run a marathon when it becomes part of their work responsibilities, highlighting a lack of personal motivation for the activity itself. **In simple terms:** Motivation tied to duty, not desire. Key Takeaway Work can drive participation in otherwise unwanted tasks. Themes Motivation Work ethic Personal responsibility Humor Self-awareness Mood Wry Reflective Amused Type Humorous Observational When to use this quote - Corporate wellness programs - Team-building events - Office challenges Key Concepts Incentive structures Task aversion Practical Applications - Designing incentive-based fitness initiatives - Encouraging employee participation Questions to Reflect On - What tasks do you only do because they are required? - How could you make personal goals feel less like obligations? ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Administration](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) [Management](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/management/) [Marathon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marathon/) [Running](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running/) ## Related quotes > [“The East Coast was running smoothly, but it now involved too much administration for him. The whole thing needed reorganizing, streamlining, and that wasn’t…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/phil-knight/the-east-coast-was-running-smoothly-but-it-now-involved-too-much/) [Phil Knight](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/phil-knight/) > [My wife and I work out together almost every day. It's just a great way to spend time together. We're going to run a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-rancic/my-wife-and-i-work-out-together-almost-every-day-it-s-just-a-great/) [Bill Rancic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-rancic/) > [To run a marathon was a challenge that I had in my head since I was a kid.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/milind-soman/to-run-a-marathon-was-a-challenge-that-i-had-in-my-head-since-i-was-a/) [Milind Soman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/milind-soman/) > [It's about having an active lifestyle, staying healthy, and making the right decisions. Life is about balance. Not everybody wants to run a marathon,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/apolo-ohno/it-s-about-having-an-active-lifestyle-staying-healthy-and-making-the/) [Apolo Ohno](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/apolo-ohno/) > [We are different, in essence, from other men. If you want to win something, run 100 meters. If you want to experience something, run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/we-are-different-in-essence-from-other-men-if-you-want-to-win/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [If you want to run, run a mile. If you want to experience a different life, run a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-zatopek/if-you-want-to-run-run-a-mile-if-you-want-to-experience-a-different/) [Emil Zatopek](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-zatopek/) > [I've run the marathon several times, so I definitely don't look like the Great Ancestor!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-takei/i-ve-run-the-marathon-several-times-so-i-definitely-don-t-look-like/) [George Takei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-takei/) > [You can run a sprint or your can run a marathon, but you can't sprint a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ryan-holmes/you-can-run-a-sprint-or-your-can-run-a-marathon-but-you-can-t-sprint/) [Ryan Holmes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ryan-holmes/) > [I've run a marathon - I think that's the most surprising thing about me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-herring/i-ve-run-a-marathon-i-think-that-s-the-most-surprising-thing-about-me/) [Richard Herring](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-herring/) > [I was really unfit for a while, so once I began running, I developed an obsession with it and started feeling really good. Then…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonny-lee-miller/i-was-really-unfit-for-a-while-so-once-i-began-running-i-developed-an/) [Jonny Lee Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonny-lee-miller/) > [Don't expect to run a marathon on your first try. Take it slow but push yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/don-t-expect-to-run-a-marathon-on-your-first-try-take-it-slow-but/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [You're never too old. You don't have to be eighteen to run a marathon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/you-re-never-too-old-you-don-t-have-to-be-eighteen-to-run-a-marathon/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I always thought if you run a Marathon in less than 4 hours, there is a tick of athletic accomplishment in that. Anything over…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-waltrip/i-always-thought-if-you-run-a-marathon-in-less-than-4-hours-there-is/) [Michael Waltrip](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-waltrip/) > [“When you run a marathon, you mean it. We're built for running. We dream of flying. For now, though, we're built to run.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/benjamin-cheever/when-you-run-a-marathon-you-mean-it-we-re-built-for-running-we-dream/) Benjamin Cheever > [What could be funnier than a fat person trying to run a marathon?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jo-brand/what-could-be-funnier-than-a-fat-person-trying-to-run-a-marathon/) [Jo Brand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jo-brand/) ## More by Sally Phillips > [My mum's from Yorkshire and my parents aren't snotty or posh - they're very hard workers, both of them.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/my-mum-s-from-yorkshire-and-my-parents-aren-t-snotty-or-posh-they-re/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I'm not sure my achievements have been 'great.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-m-not-sure-my-achievements-have-been-great/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I'm very devoted to my kids - I'm completely blind to their faults.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-m-very-devoted-to-my-kids-i-m-completely-blind-to-their-faults/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I tell people that I'm a Christian, but I don't think it's giving an insight into who I am or what I'm about.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-tell-people-that-i-m-a-christian-but-i-don-t-think-it-s-giving-an/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I've got spider veins all over my legs, so I wear opaque tights all winter. All sorts of colours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-ve-got-spider-veins-all-over-my-legs-so-i-wear-opaque-tights-all/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I don't get star-struck at all.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-don-t-get-star-struck-at-all/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I have a lot of funny friends, though not everyone's funny all the time. Doon Mackichan's my funniest friend in the pub; Nina Conti's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-have-a-lot-of-funny-friends-though-not-everyone-s-funny-all-the/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I truly would love to be a designer-label girl, but I am very much High Street.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-truly-would-love-to-be-a-designer-label-girl-but-i-am-very-much/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [All I want to do really is get married and be a matriarch.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/all-i-want-to-do-really-is-get-married-and-be-a-matriarch/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I never ever Google myself. That way madness lies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-never-ever-google-myself-that-way-madness-lies/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I don't have the self-discipline for diets; I break rules I set for myself, so I try and eat more healthily, juice more, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-don-t-have-the-self-discipline-for-diets-i-break-rules-i-set-for/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I'm feeling incredibly Botox-tempted as my face collapses around my shoulders.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-m-feeling-incredibly-botox-tempted-as-my-face-collapses-around-my/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I definitely used to write a lot at school. Comic poetry and drawings about people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-definitely-used-to-write-a-lot-at-school-comic-poetry-and-drawings/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [My mother always worked and thought staying at home was a bit twee, and that you should get your act together and do something…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/my-mother-always-worked-and-thought-staying-at-home-was-a-bit-twee/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) > [I once had a friend who did the hair for sci-fi movies, and after a particularly bad break-up I stupidly went to her salon…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/i-once-had-a-friend-who-did-the-hair-for-sci-fi-movies-and-after-a/) [Sally Phillips](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) [Explore all 52 Sally Phillips quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/) ## More Administration quotes > [We need a system that serves our needs, not the needs of others. Remember, under a Trump administration it's called America first. Remember that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-need-a-system-that-serves-our-needs-not-the-needs-of-others/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [While the people retain their virtue and vigilance, no administration, by any extreme of wickedness or folly, can very seriously injure the government in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-lincoln/while-the-people-retain-their-virtue-and-vigilance-no-administration/) [Abraham Lincoln](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-lincoln/) > [If you want to serve in a Trump administration, you're going to serve this country, not yourself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sean-spicer/if-you-want-to-serve-in-a-trump-administration-you-re-going-to-serve/) [Sean Spicer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sean-spicer/) > [Listen, I have a great affection and respect for Joe Biden. I think he's been a great vice president. He's taken on a lot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-axelrod/listen-i-have-a-great-affection-and-respect-for-joe-biden-i-think-he/) [David Axelrod](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-axelrod/) > [I don't believe anyone that I know in the administration ever said that Iraq had nuclear weapons.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-rumsfeld/i-don-t-believe-anyone-that-i-know-in-the-administration-ever-said/) [Donald Rumsfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-rumsfeld/) > [What was unique about me being in City Hall during the Giuliani Administration, I was the only one who wasn't an attorney. I may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joe-lhota/what-was-unique-about-me-being-in-city-hall-during-the-giuliani/) [Joe Lhota](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joe-lhota/) > [The Trump administration launched the cruise missile strikes in Syria, an act of war, without a U.N. resolution or Congressional authorization.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-bergen/the-trump-administration-launched-the-cruise-missile-strikes-in-syria/) [Peter Bergen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-bergen/) > [Obama spent the first two years of his administration practicing political unilateral disarmament.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cenk-uygur/obama-spent-the-first-two-years-of-his-administration-practicing/) [Cenk Uygur](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cenk-uygur/) > [The actions of the University in my case make it abundantly clear that the Administration's rhetoric about Harvard's desire to attract and retain the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/margaret-geller/the-actions-of-the-university-in-my-case-make-it-abundantly-clear/) [Margaret Geller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/margaret-geller/) > [In mid-May, the House of Representatives approved the full amount of money that the Veterans Administration said was needed for next year - plus…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/doc-hastings/in-mid-may-the-house-of-representatives-approved-the-full-amount-of/) [Doc Hastings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/doc-hastings/) > [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/) [Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/) > [The administration of George W. Bush, emboldened by the Sept. 11 attacks and the backing of a Republican Congress, has sought to further extend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noah-feldman/the-administration-of-george-w-bush-emboldened-by-the-sept-11-attacks/) [Noah Feldman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noah-feldman/) > [When we criticize in Iran the actions of the government, the fundamentalists say that we and the Bush Administration are in the same camp.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shirin-ebadi/when-we-criticize-in-iran-the-actions-of-the-government-the/) [Shirin Ebadi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shirin-ebadi/) > [We will finally complete the biometric entry-exit visa tracking system, which we need desperately. For years Congress has required biometric entry-exit visa tracking systems…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-trump/we-will-finally-complete-the-biometric-entry-exit-visa-tracking/) [Donald Trump](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-trump/) > [We can today open wide the history of their administrations and point with pride to every act, and challenge the world to point out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-toombs/we-can-today-open-wide-the-history-of-their-administrations-and-point/) [Robert Toombs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-toombs/) [Browse all 1,855 Administration quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/administration/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Sally Phillips" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Administration" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/sally-phillips-12985_administration_the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is_15880.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/sally-phillips-12985_administration_the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is_15880.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/680/sally-phillips-12985_administration_the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is_15880.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“The only way I'll ever run a marathon is if I'm involved in the administration.” — Sally Phillips", "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": "Sally Phillips", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sally-phillips/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "The only way I'll ever run...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sally-phillips/the-only-way-i-ll-ever-run-a-marathon-is-if-i-m-involved-in-the/#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 } } ] } ```