What if I were smiling and running into your arms? Would you see then what I see now?

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.

Once you believe that God is speaking directly to you, there is no discussion.

Passion is what makes life interesting, what ignites our soul, drives our curiosity, fuels our love and carries our friendship, stimulates our intellect, and pushes our limit.... A passion for life is contagious and uplifting. Passion cuts both ways.... Those that make you feel on top of the world are equally able to turnit upside down.

The sad end he met in Afghanistan was more accurately a function of his stubborn idealism - his insistence on trying to do the right thing. In which case it wasn't a tragic flaw that brought Tillman down, but a tragic virtue.

You should own nothing except what you can carry on your back at a dead run.

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