--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The keys to life are running and reading…" description: "\"“The keys to life are running and reading. When you're running, there's a little person that talks to you and says, \"Oh I'm tired. My lung's about to p..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/will-smith-1021_books_the-keys-to-life-are-running-and-reading_3227992.jpg" --- # The keys to life are running and reading. When you're… ![“The keys to life are running and reading. When you're running, there's a little person that talks to you and says, "Oh I'm tired. My lung's about to pop. I'm so hurt. There's no way I can possibly continue." You want to quit. If you learn how to defeat that person when you're running. You will how…” quote by Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/will-smith-1021_books_the-keys-to-life-are-running-and-reading_3227992.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/will-smith-1021_books_the-keys-to-life-are-running-and-reading_3227992.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/97a/will-smith-1021_books_the-keys-to-life-are-running-and-reading_3227992.jpg) > ““The keys to life are running and reading. When you're running, there's a little person that talks to you and says, "Oh I'm tired. My lung's about to pop. I'm so hurt. There's no way I can possibly continue." You want to quit. If you learn how to defeat that person when you're running. You will how to not quit when things get hard in your life. For reading: there have been gazillions of people that have lived before all of us. There's no new problem you could have--with your parents, with school, with a bully. There's no new problem that someone hasn't already had and written about it in a book.”” [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Physical and mental endurance in running mirrors life's challenges; reading shows problems are recurring, offering guidance. **In simple terms:** Running builds resilience; reading provides perspective on universal struggles. Key Takeaway Apply discipline from sport to life; learn from past experiences in books. Themes resilience learning self‑discipline Mood determined reflective Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - training sessions - academic setbacks - relationship conflicts - career obstacles Key Concepts psychology literature personal growth Questions to Reflect On - How can you identify the inner critic during a tough task? - What book has most changed your view on a personal problem? A Different Perspective Physical fatigue can mask mental limits, and books may not cover every unique modern issue. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit/) [Quit Learn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit-learn-5550961/) [Quit Things](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/quit-things-297112/) [Running Quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/running-quit-6094907/) [Want Quit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/want-quit-441635/) ## Related quotes > [Being able to quit things that don't work is integral to being a winner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-able-to-quit-things-that-don-t-work-is-integral-to-being-a/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Do not allow the failures to make you quit. 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Being an actor is about changing who you are.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/a-rapper-is-about-being-completely-true-to-yourself-being-an-actor-is/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Goofy was the word that was used most often by my sisters because I've been this tall ever since I was 12 years old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/goofy-was-the-word-that-was-used-most-often-by-my-sisters-because-i/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Everybody need a partner to stand right by their side. Not only down for the good times. But also down through the bad times.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/everybody-need-a-partner-to-stand-right-by-their-side-not-only-down/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Thomas Jefferson was a real poet. He was slick with that 'pursuit' of happiness because the 'pursuit' puts it back on you.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/thomas-jefferson-was-a-real-poet-he-was-slick-with-that-pursuit-of/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [I have fun. I enjoy my life. And I was hardwired for a deep connection between service, God, and happiness. You kind of need…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/i-have-fun-i-enjoy-my-life-and-i-was-hardwired-for-a-deep-connection/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Believing in yourself is the first step to accomplishing any goal. If you think you're going to fail, you probably will.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/believing-in-yourself-is-the-first-step-to-accomplishing-any-goal-if/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [ You might be \[outshining me in many ways\]. But if we get on a treadmill, there are two things: you're getting off first or… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/you-might-be-outshining-me-in-many-ways-but-if-we-get-on-a-treadmill/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Black people playing tennis, next white people will be tap dancing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/black-people-playing-tennis-next-white-people-will-be-tap-dancing/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Anything can go away. There's no such thing as safety and security. You can do things that give you the illusion of safety and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/anything-can-go-away-there-s-no-such-thing-as-safety-and-security-you/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [You be as truthful as you can to a specific situation, and it will become universal.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/you-be-as-truthful-as-you-can-to-a-specific-situation-and-it-will/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Listen to these words, they are very inspirational.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/listen-to-these-words-they-are-very-inspirational/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [Life is lived on the edge.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/life-is-lived-on-the-edge/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [You dont try to build a well, you dont set out to build a wall, you dont say I am going to build the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/you-dont-try-to-build-a-well-you-dont-set-out-to-build-a-wall-you/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [While the other guy's sleeping? I'm working. While the other guy's eatin'? I'm working.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/while-the-other-guy-s-sleeping-i-m-working-while-the-other-guy-s/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) > [“Too many people are buying things they can't afford, with money that they don't have... to impress people that they don't like!" Nothing to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-smith/too-many-people-are-buying-things-they-can-t-afford-with-money-that/) [Will Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) [Explore all 305 Will Smith quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-smith/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) [Christopher K. Krebs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-k-krebs/) > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) [Markus Herz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/markus-herz/) > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“The keys to life are running and reading. When you're running, there's a little person that talks to you and says, \"Oh I'm tired. My lung's about to pop. I'm so hurt. There's no way I can possibly continue.\" You want to quit. If you learn how to defeat that person when you're running. You will how to not quit when things get hard in your life. 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