I like to describe Himalayan climbing as a kind of art of suffering. Just pushing, pushing yourself to your limits.

The man coming back from the hard mountain trip is a wiser being, calmer and radiating inside. I'd say momentary liberated.

I just have a dream mountain under the eyelids, this is my breath, my life.

When you are totally defeated you begin again to enjoy the small things around you. Just going to the mountains, not for victory or glory, but to enjoy nature or enjoy fine people. If you always succeed you enjoy the admiration of many people. Being defeated means being limited to the basis existential choices of life. If you can enjoy the quiet evening hours it is beautiful; a hero who always succeeds may not have time to enjoy such things.

Beauty is the door to another world.

Every type of evil we've got in us is the result of that one true illness of the human mind - that is, of being self-centered.

Great effort, fear and suffering sweet all the worthless chaff out of us.