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Greatest Quotes Of All Time That Sum Up The Spirit Of Mountaineering
Greatest Mountaineering Quotes of All Time Explained | Video
There are quotes and then there are super quotes. A great quote not only inspires you but also makes you wonder about the person who said it and why he or she said it. You want to go beyond the words and know more about these people, search them online, read about their lives and possibly meet them.
Here, we have compiled some of the greatest and most powerful quotes from the history of climbing that have inspired generations of climbers and mountain-lovers and will continue to do so.
“Because It’s There”
George Mallory
In one of the most famous mountaineering quotes ever, George Mallory had said these words in 1923 when asked why he wanted to scale the Mount Everest. A year later, Mallory and his partner Andrew Irvine died on Everest but his three words continue to inspire generations of climbers, who needn’t explain to anybody any longer why they did what they did.
“Climb If You Will”
Edward Whymper
Here is a piece of advice to all the climbers from Edward Whymper, one of the earliest pioneers of mountaineering and who in 1865 became the first man to summit the Matterhorn. Sounding a cautionary note, Whymper goes on to say that “a momentary negligence may destroy the happiness of a lifetime. Do nothing in haste, look well to each step, and from the beginning think what may be the end.”
“We So Far Forgot Ourselves
As To Shake Hands”
Bill Tillman
Perhaps no other words can better describe the feeling of pure joy one experiences while standing at the top of a mountain after successfully climbing it for the first time. English mountaineer Bill Tilman had said these words in a book while narrating the moment when he and Noel Odell reached the summit of Nanda Devi mountain in Uttarakhand in 1936, “It was difficult to realise that we were actually standing on top of the same peak which we had viewed two months ago from Ranikhet. It gave us a curious feeling of exaltation to know that we were above every peak within hundreds of miles on either hand. I believe we so far forgot ourselves as to shake hands on it.”
“There are Other Annapurnas”
Maurice Herzog
These words by Maurice Herzog continue to be a source of inspiration even after more than 68 years. Maurice and Louis Lachenal were the first mountaineers to climb a mountain having an altitude of more than 8000 meters when they summitted Annapurna in 1950. A year later Maurice wrote his bestseller Annapurna, which concludes with the stirring final line, an exhortation to accept the challenges that life throws at you: “There are other Annapurnas in the lives of men.”
“Mountains Taught Me Not To Cheat”
Walter Bonatti
Mountains bring out the best and the worst in us. And who knew this better than Walter Bonatti, the Italian mountaineer, who was part of the first successful and controversial K2 expedition in 1954. He was left to die in the open in the freezing cold on the savage mountain by his team members to not let him reach the summit. Walter survived the bivouac and mostly climbed solo after this episode, which changed his life forever. Walter was cheated by his team members, they were not honest with him on the K2 but this is what he had to say, “Mountains taught me not to cheat, to be honest with myself and with what I was doing.”
“We Knocked The Bastard Off”
Edmund Hillary
Why do we climb mountains? For the heck of it! For the fun of it and nothing else. No other quote can make it more clearer than this. After climbing Everest for the first time in 1953, Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay on their return were received at the base camp by John Hunt, who till then didn’t know if the pair had reached the top or not. And this is how Edmund had broken the news to Hunt, “We knocked the bastard off.”
“The Death Of The Impossible”
Reinhold Messner
It’s the title of an essay Reinhold Messner wrote in 1971 and which for the first time triggered a debate on the use of modern equipment as an aid to climbing. Messner, who is one of the top mountaineers of all time, argued in his piece that there is nothing impossible left in climbing and that the ‘impossible’ has been murdered by the increasing use and reliance upon equipment. He says that the faith in equipment has been replaced with the faith in oneself and ’Impossible’ doesn’t exist anymore. Messner’s words continue to haunt the mountaineering world.
“Getting To The Summit Is Optional,
Getting Down Is Mandatory”
Ed Viesturs
It’s the golden rule of mountaineering set by Ed Viesturs. If faced with a choice between reaching the summit in a life-threatening situation and turning back, just step back and save your life to climb another day.
“Mountains Are Calling”
John Muir
Perhaps one of the most popular mountain quotes ever, John Muir, an American naturalist and an early advocate for the preservation of wilderness, had said these words in a letter to his sister in 1873. Muir’s full quote reads, “The mountains are calling & I must go & I will work on while I can, studying incessantly.” And John’s words continue to make people fall in love with the mountains.
“I Now Walk Into The Wild”
Chris Mccandless
It’s one of those rare quotes that touch your heart every time you read it. After having decided to live off the ground, Chris McCandless or Alexander Supertramp as he liked to call himself, walked alone into the wilderness in Alaska in April, 1992.
Before embarking on his adventure, Chris sent a postcard to his friend saying, “If this adventure proves fatal and you don’t ever hear from me again I want you to know you’re a great man. I now walk into the wild.” Chris couldn’t survive the wild and four months later his decomposed body was found by hunters.
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