The famous last line of Herzog’s book is “There are other Annapurnas in the lives of men.

What drives my life is not the desire to get along with other people or make friends so much as a moral obligation to give back as much as – no, more than – I take. That’s karma. It’s really not so far from the Golden Rule: “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” Some.

Your instincts are telling you something. Trust them and listen to them.

It reminds me of a very wise saying about mountaineering that my wife, Paula, repeats often: “Just when you think you’ve got it figured out, you don’t.

No matter what the future holds in store, I can say now – out loud, without hesitation – something that, sadly, all too few men and women can ever say: I have lived my dream.

Yeah, but a mistake is a mistake even if you get away with it.

Early on May 23, 1997, from 28,500 feet on Everest, I witnessed the incredible shadow of the mountain, the penumbra, forming to the west as the sun rose behind me. The full moon from the night before was still visible. The bluish cast of the atmosphere can also be seen.

Dreams are not made to put us to sleep, but to awaken us.

I like things that are difficult, physically and mentally. Things that are really challenging, things that really maybe take a long time but really push me to my limits.

Mountains don’t kill people, they just sit there...