--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He proved, back in 1923, that a man…" description: "\"“He proved, back in 1923, that a man couldn't run a mile in under four minutes. He proved that. But people do it all the time, and do you know what tha..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/stephen-king-13_mile_he-proved-back-in-1923-that-a-man-couldn_2441388.jpg" --- # He proved, back in 1923, that a man couldn't run a mile in… ![“He proved, back in 1923, that a man couldn't run a mile in under four minutes. He proved that. But people do it all the time, and do you know what that means? It means that no blue ribbon is forever. Someday—if the world doesn't explode itself in the meantime—someone will run a two-minute mile in…” quote by Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/stephen-king-13_mile_he-proved-back-in-1923-that-a-man-couldn_2441388.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/stephen-king-13_mile_he-proved-back-in-1923-that-a-man-couldn_2441388.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/28d/stephen-king-13_mile_he-proved-back-in-1923-that-a-man-couldn_2441388.jpg) > ““He proved, back in 1923, that a man couldn't run a mile in under four minutes. He proved that. But people do it all the time, and do you know what that means? It means that no blue ribbon is forever. Someday—if the world doesn't explode itself in the meantime—someone will run a two-minute mile in the Olympics. It may take a hundred years or a thousand, but it will happen. Because there is no ultimate blue ribbon. There is zero, and there is eternity, and there is mortality, but there is no ultimate.”” [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Limits are temporary; breakthroughs eventually surpass them, showing no achievement is final **In simple terms:** All records are breakable; nothing stays forever Key Takeaway Expect continual progress and challenge complacency Themes change human potential impermanence Mood reflective optimistic Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - sports - scientific research - personal goals - technological innovation Key Concepts psychology progress mortality Questions to Reflect On - What current "impossible" might become routine? - How do we stay motivated when progress seems slow? A Different Perspective Some limits may be due to current knowledge, not absolute impossibility ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Mile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mile/) [Mile Minutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mile-minutes-491226/) [Mile Olympics](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mile-olympics-491227/) [Minute Mile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/minute-mile-491225/) [Run Mile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/run-mile-491228/) ## Related quotes > [You still think we can go out there, and we can all run the mile in four minutes, you know, your mind still thinks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caitlyn-jenner/you-still-think-we-can-go-out-there-and-we-can-all-run-the-mile-in/) [Caitlyn Jenner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caitlyn-jenner/) > [There was nothing unusual about my victory. The entire story was back in eighth place. There is simply no way to imagine how good…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dyrol-burleson/there-was-nothing-unusual-about-my-victory-the-entire-story-was-back/) [Dyrol Burleson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dyrol-burleson/) > [To go below one nanokelvin is like running a mile below four minutes for the first time.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wolfgang-ketterle/to-go-below-one-nanokelvin-is-like-running-a-mile-below-four-minutes/) [Wolfgang Ketterle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/wolfgang-ketterle/) > [You have to run 75 to 100 miles a week if you expect to break the four-minute mile.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenneth-h-cooper/you-have-to-run-75-to-100-miles-a-week-if-you-expect-to-break-the/) [Kenneth H. Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenneth-h-cooper/) > [I ran my first sub-4-minute mile in 1977 and since then have run 136 more. Nobody has run as many sub-4s as I have,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-scott/i-ran-my-first-sub-4-minute-mile-in-1977-and-since-then-have-run-136/) [Steve Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-scott/) > [Take the great example of the four-minute mile. One guy breaks it, then all of a sudden everyone breaks it. And they break it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/malcolm-gladwell/take-the-great-example-of-the-four-minute-mile-one-guy-breaks-it-then/) [Malcolm Gladwell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/malcolm-gladwell/) > [The metric system was designed to get people to enter charity runs.Do you think you would go run a 3.1 mile race? No, but…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-gutfeld/the-metric-system-was-designed-to-get-people-to-enter-charity-runs-do/) [Greg Gutfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-gutfeld/) > [It's that great feeling, like the first man on the moon, the first man to run a mile in under four minutes. And now,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eddie-hall/it-s-that-great-feeling-like-the-first-man-on-the-moon-the-first-man/) [Eddie Hall](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eddie-hall/) > [I walk an 11-minute mile without huffing and puffing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jessye-norman/i-walk-an-11-minute-mile-without-huffing-and-puffing/) [Jessye Norman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jessye-norman/) > [Do the small things. If you are running a 10-12 minute mile take a mile off your plan for the day and use the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/meb-keflezighi/do-the-small-things-if-you-are-running-a-10-12-minute-mile-take-a/) [Meb Keflezighi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/meb-keflezighi/) > [The hard part is believing it can happen to you. Most likely, my runners will never achieve a 3-minute mile. I think they may…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gerry-lindgren/the-hard-part-is-believing-it-can-happen-to-you-most-likely-my/) [Gerry Lindgren](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gerry-lindgren/) > [ “Roger Banister said his 4:03.6 mile in 1953 “made \[him\] realize that the four-minute mile was not out of reach.” Part of daring to… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-bet-david/roger-banister-said-his-4-03-6-mile-in-1953-made-him-realize-that-the/) [Patrick Bet-David](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-bet-david/) > [The writer ... an athlete required to break the four-minute mile every morning.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/irving-stone/the-writer-an-athlete-required-to-break-the-four-minute-mile-every/) [Irving Stone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/irving-stone/) > [“Knowing that a 6-minute mile is just as far as a 16-minute mile will allow you to move forward and gain confidence. How”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sarah-richardson/knowing-that-a-6-minute-mile-is-just-as-far-as-a-16-minute-mile-will/) [Sarah Richardson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sarah-richardson/) > [“The wide corridor up the centre of E Block was floored with linoleum the colour of tired old limes, and so what was the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-wide-corridor-up-the-centre-of-e-block-was-floored-with-linoleum/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More by Stephen King > [Shall there be truth between us, as two men? Not as friends, but as enemies and equals?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/shall-there-be-truth-between-us-as-two-men-not-as-friends-but-as/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The worst advice? 'Don't listen to the critics.' I think that you really ought to listen to the critics, because sometimes they're telling you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-worst-advice-don-t-listen-to-the-critics-i-think-that-you-really/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“October 3, 2017 The clown, Hagarty said, looked like a cross between Ronald McDonald and that old TV clown, Bozo—or so he thought at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/october-3-2017-the-clown-hagarty-said-looked-like-a-cross-between/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Eddie saw great things and near misses. Albert Einstein as a child, not quite struck by a run-away milk-wagon as he crossed a street.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/eddie-saw-great-things-and-near-misses-albert-einstein-as-a-child-not/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [It hurt, of course, but more often than not the best things do, I've found.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/it-hurt-of-course-but-more-often-than-not-the-best-things-do-i-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The idea that creative endeavor and mind-altering substances are entwined is one of the great pop-intellectual myths of our time... Creative people probably do…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-idea-that-creative-endeavor-and-mind-altering-substances-are/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“The sun had burned through and the day had gone from dull to dazzling, yet in the west blask-satin thunderheads continued to stack up.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-sun-had-burned-through-and-the-day-had-gone-from-dull-to-dazzling/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“God, you had enough time to have been through it three times. You've been through my stuff. I bet you over and let one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/god-you-had-enough-time-to-have-been-through-it-three-times-you-ve/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Flakes of snow swirled and danced across the porch. The Overlook faced it as it had for nearly three-quarters of a century, its darkened…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/flakes-of-snow-swirled-and-danced-across-the-porch-the-overlook-faced/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“In that instant it all seemed to come clear to him- it came in a grisly flash of light, and he realized that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/in-that-instant-it-all-seemed-to-come-clear-to-him-it-came-in-a/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [Who gets to be best-liked in any community? Who is the most trusted? Why, the man who does the dirty job, of course, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/who-gets-to-be-best-liked-in-any-community-who-is-the-most-trusted/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“¿Lo ves, tonto? Volvió a regañarse. Tú lo inventaste todo, gato asustado. No fue más que tu imaginación, gato asustado, gato asustado... No te…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/lo-ves-tonto-volvi-a-rega-arse-t-lo-inventaste-todo-gato-asustado-no/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Death . . . but not for you. That was what Walter, clever as Satan even at the end, had said. A lawyer’s answer . . . so close to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/death-but-not-for-you-that-was-what-walter-clever-as-satan-even-at/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [The ghost story movie that scared me the most was The Changeling with George C. Scott. I think that's sometimes overlooked, but it's a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/the-ghost-story-movie-that-scared-me-the-most-was-the-changeling-with/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) > [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/) [Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) [Explore all 3,589 Stephen King quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/) ## More Mile quotes > ['8 Mile' is so revered, it's like, everywhere I go, somebody's talking about it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omar-benson-miller/8-mile-is-so-revered-it-s-like-everywhere-i-go-somebody-s-talking/) [Omar Benson Miller](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omar-benson-miller/) > [Walking a mile in my shoes will make you realize that not everything is as good as it seems.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/walking-a-mile-in-my-shoes-will-make-you-realize-that-not-everything/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Go the extra mile, And make somebody smile”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charmaine-j-forde-2/go-the-extra-mile-and-make-somebody-smile/) [Charmaine J. Forde](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charmaine-j-forde-2/) > [Blink and you miss a sprint. The 10,000 meters is lap after lap of waiting. Theatrically, the mile is just the right length: beginning,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-coe/blink-and-you-miss-a-sprint-the-10-000-meters-is-lap-after-lap-of/) [Sebastian Coe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-coe/) > [Every mile marker can be met with some measure of trepidation, in a race or in life. Am I on target? Do I have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kristin-armstrong/every-mile-marker-can-be-met-with-some-measure-of-trepidation-in-a/) [Kristin Armstrong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kristin-armstrong/) > [A mile of worries wont take you as far as an inch of action.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/king-raphy/a-mile-of-worries-wont-take-you-as-far-as-an-inch-of-action/) [King Raphy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/king-raphy/) > [We all know the dangers of sequels. Lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place too often, and I think you've got to move…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-firth/we-all-know-the-dangers-of-sequels-lightning-doesn-t-strike-twice-in/) [Colin Firth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-firth/) > [My fastest time in high school was a 4:29 mile. I think cross-country has something to do with my longevity in my business. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-cooper/my-fastest-time-in-high-school-was-a-4-29-mile-i-think-cross-country/) [Alice Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-cooper/) > [When I first watched '8 Mile,' it was amazing. It got me. I loved it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/danielle-macdonald/when-i-first-watched-8-mile-it-was-amazing-it-got-me-i-loved-it/) [Danielle Macdonald](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/danielle-macdonald/) > [When I was in graduate school, I had a teacher who said to me, 'Women writers should marry somebody who thinks writing is cute.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lorrie-moore/when-i-was-in-graduate-school-i-had-a-teacher-who-said-to-me-women/) [Lorrie Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lorrie-moore/) > [“Don't get disheartened one mile into a marathon.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rasheed-ogunlaru/don-t-get-disheartened-one-mile-into-a-marathon/) [Rasheed Ogunlaru](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rasheed-ogunlaru/) > [Give an inch, he'll take an mile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/proverb/give-an-inch-he-ll-take-an-mile/) [Proverb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/proverb/) > [The mile has all the elements of a drama.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-bannister/the-mile-has-all-the-elements-of-a-drama/) [Roger Bannister](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-bannister/) > [Being on a set where the director has lost control is just sickening. No one goes the extra mile, theres a lot of eye-rolling...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christine-vachon/being-on-a-set-where-the-director-has-lost-control-is-just-sickening/) [Christine Vachon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christine-vachon/) > [The Zambesi is a big river; there's no crocodiles on 4 Mile Run.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-fowler/the-zambesi-is-a-big-river-there-s-no-crocodiles-on-4-mile-run/) [Jim Fowler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-fowler/) [Browse all 186 Mile quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mile/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“He proved, back in 1923, that a man couldn't run a mile in under four minutes. He proved that. But people do it all the time, and do you know what that means? It means that no blue ribbon is forever. Someday—if the world doesn't explode itself in the meantime—someone will run a two-minute mile in the Olympics. 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