When you stand at the bottom of the mountain and look up at the mountaintop, the path looks hard and stony, and the top is obscured by clouds. But when you reach the top and you look down, you realize that there are a thousand paths that could have brought you to that place.

Fall down nine times, get up ten.

The bigger the challenge, the bigger the sense of accomplishment when you get to the end of it.

Compared with the awesome might and eternal power of the ocean, no human being can fail to be reminded of their own insignificance.

Be mindful of the link between present action and desired future outcome. Ask yourself: if I repeat today’s actions 365 times, will I be where I want to be in a year?

So let's raise the tone of the debate. Too often at the moment we look like schoolchildren squabbling over a toy - our most precious toy, the Earth. And the danger is that as we pull in opposite directions in our global tug of war, the Earth will end up broken - or at least unable to sustain human life. That is the worst case scenario - or maybe, from the Earth's point of view, the best.

I'm not claiming to be anything out of the ordinary. I am not especially big or strong or brave or intrepid.