Climbers are a universal tribe: we share the knowledge that things are not important. Experience is important. Feeling is important.

On big routes in big mountains, speed equals safety.

Within alpinism's narrow framework we seek transcendence and relentlessly pursue what remains hidden from us on flat ground: our true selves.

The simpler we make things, the richer the experiences become.

In the mountains, fatigue is the biggest controllable limitation that will come between you and success.

I can respect the gulf that separates alpinism from a running race and still appreciate that the physiology that accounts for endurance is the same if you are running a foot race in the city park or front pointing up the second ice field on the north face of the Eiger.

The depth of any story is proportionate to the protagonist's commitment to their goal, the complexity of the problem, and the grace of the solution.