Ever since the morning of May 29, 1953, when Tenzing Norgay and I became the first climbers to step onto the summit of Mount Everest, I've been called a great adventurer.

Life's a bit like mountaineering - never look down.

When you go to the mountains, you see them and you admire them. In a sense, they give you a challenge, and you try to express that challenge by climbing them.

Challenge is what makes men. It will be the end when men stop looking for new challenges.

I hate being called an 'icon.' I just don't like it. That's all there is to it.

With practice and focus, you can extend yourself far more than you ever believed possible.

I get older I get more cantankerous, but June [Hillary] gets a bit more cantankerous, too.