An extended stay in the wilderness inevitably directs one's attention outward as much as inward, and it is impossible to live off the land without developing both a subtle understanding of, and a strong emotional bond with, that land and all it holds.

When you forgive, you love. And when you love, God’s light shines through you.

But now that I was finally here, standing on the summit of Mount Everest, I just couldn't summon the energy to care.

The only person you are fighting is yourself and your stubbornness to engage in new circumstances.

Mountains make poor receptacles for dreams.

Most climbers aren't in fact deranged, they're just infected with a particularly virulent strain of the Human Condition.

Unlike most of life, what you do really matters. Your actions have real consequences. You have to pay attention and focus, and that's very satisfying. It forces you to pay great attention and you lose yourself in the task at hand. Without the risk, that wouldn't happen, so the risk is an essential part of climbing, and that's hard for some people to grasp. You can't justify the risk when things go wrong and people die. The greater the risk, the greater the reward in most aspects of life, and in climbing that's certainly true, too. It's very physical, you use your mind and your body.