“It takes all the running you can do, to keep in the same place. If you want to get somewhere else, you must run at least twice as fast as that!”

Comes from the idea in the evolutionary biology: Species must constantly adapt and evolve not just to gain an advantage but simply to survive against competitors, predators, or environmental changes.

We must keep working harder just to stay in the same place/position. And staying in the same place/position is falling behind. This explains why people can feel stuck in an endless loop of striving without lasting satisfaction.

The RQE is a race you can’t win by running faster. You have to run smarter.