When I start any book, I have no idea what I'm going to do.

Almost every magazine piece I've ever written, I felt like I haven't done it justice, like it was just a gloss.

He was unheeded, happy, and near to the wild heart of life. He was alone and young and wilful and wildhearted, alone amid a waste of wild air and brackish waters and the seaharvest of shells and tangle and veiled grey sunlight.

In climbing, having confidence in your partners is no small concern. One climber's actions can affect the welfare of the entire team.

You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in everything and anything we might experience. We just have to have the courage to turn against our habitual lifestyle and engage in unconventional living.

I was dimly aware that I might be getting in over my head. But that only added to the scheme’s appeal. That it wouldn’t be easy was the whole point.

Everest has always been a magnet for kooks, publicity seekers, hopeless romantics and others with a shaky hold on reality.