When you find yourself starting to make an excuse for why you can’t or don’t need to work out today, if you’re in an exercise rut or you just need some extra motivation to get yourself out the door, check out some of these quotes and motivational mantras. Also be sure to check out my 26.2 miles of motivation (a mantra for every mile!).

Do you have one to add to this list? Email me at runladylike@gmail.com or send me a message on Twitter (@rUnladylike) with your favorite motivational quote or mantra and I may post it here or mention it on Twitter for extra inspiration.

“Running isn’t about how far you go but how far you’ve come.”
~Bart Yasso – @bartyasso

“There are no shortcuts to any place worth going.”
~Beverly Sills

“No one goes this far and leaves without a medal.”
~@AdrienneRunsAZ

“The only person who can tell you ‘You can’t’ is you … but you don’t have to listen!”
~Dean Karnazes

“Don’t let what you want right now get in the way of what you want overall.”
~Nicole Mercer – @miss_diagnosed

“Runners just do it – they run for the finish line even if someone else has reached it first.” 
~Author Unknown

“You can’t be both awesome AND negative. Choose one.”
~@Wise_Running

“My therapist is the pavement. My drug is endorphins. My enemy is the next hill. I am a runner.”
~@RunningEveryday

“Never throw in the white towel. Instead, use it to wipe your sweat and keep going. Find your strong.”
~Saucony – @saucony

“You don’t have to be perfect to be amazing.”
~@portlandfit

“If it wasn’t hard, everyone would do it. It’s the hard that makes it great.”
~Tom Hanks

“The difference between the impossible and the possible lies in your determination.”
~@coachprs

“If you want to be a better runner, you’ve got to run more. It’s as simple as that.
~Tom Fleming

“If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.”
~Priscilla Welch

“The difference between ordinary and extraordinary is that little EXTRA.”
~Jimmy Johnson

“If you run, you are a runner. It doesn’t matter how fast or how far. It doesn’t matter if today is your first day or if you’ve been running for 20 years. There is no test to pass, no license to earn, no membership card to get. You just run.”
~John Bingham

“I’m STRONGER than running. It WON’T beat me
~Dorothy Beal – @MilePosts

“You don’t have to feel like doing it. You just have to do it.”
Beth Risdon – @ShutUpRun

“The best inspiration is not to outdo others, but to outdo ourselves.”
~Anonymous

“I’ve never gone on a run – bad or good – that I ever regretted. EVER.”
~Dorothy Beal – @MilePosts

“It’s a hill. Get over it.”
~Anonymous

“Success doesn’t come to you, you go to it.”
~Marva Collins

“The world needs dreamers, and the world needs doers. But most of all, the world needs dreamers who do.”
~@sevenly

“Regardless of finishing time, regardless of place, the prime goal is to get to the finish line standing up and in reasonably good shape.”
~Hal Higdon –‏ @higdonmarathon

“Don’t wait until everything is just right. There are always challenges and obstacles. So what? Get started now.”
~@MooreConsulting

If you ever think that you don’t have time to run, remember someone who is busier than you is running right now.”
~Anonymous

“Stop thinking so much and getting in your own way. Thinking merely allows an outlet to not do something. Just put it into action without the forethought of: It’s too hot, I’m too tired, I don’t have time, I don’t feel like it. If being in shape, losing weight, running marathons was easy, everyone would do it. It’s not supposed to be easy. When those thoughts creep in, kick them to the curb. Then do what you said you were going to do. You’ll be glad you did.”
~Beth Risdon – @ShutUpRun

It’s okay to be last. You beat everyone who never started.
~Anonymous

“Not every workout will be your best or your strongest. You don’t need to judge yourself. Let it go. Tomorrow is another day.”
~Beth Risdon – @ShutUpRun

“You’re better than you think you are. You can do more than you think you can.”
~@GrahamCarterGC