The greatest climbing quotes ever uttered

The greatest climbing quotes ever uttered

From climbing legends to authors with a penchant for snowy peaks, we take a look at the greatest climbing quotes ever uttered

Whether it's the 8,000-meter peaks of the Himalayas, the big wall climbs of California, or the humbler Highlands of Scotland, the mountains have inspired men and women to put pen to paper and wax lyrical for centuries.

And who can blame them? Mountain landscapes are home to some of the wildest and most breathtaking landscapes on earth. In the mountains, the legends of old lived and died in search of glory. Who better to mention in our list of the best climbing quotes ever uttered?

alt=“The iconic Matterhorn is one of the most beautiful mountains in the world”>The iconic Matterhorn

The greatest climbing quotes ever uttered

“There are two types of climbers, those who climb because their heart sings when they are in the mountains, and everyone else.” –Alex Lowe

“For a mountaineer, saying you’re stopping by Everest is like saying you’re stopping by to see God.” –Roland Smith

"K2 isn't some malevolent being lurking over the Baltoro, waiting to get us. It's just there. It's indifferent. It's an inanimate mountain of rock, ice, and snow. The 'wildness' is what we project onto it, as if we blame the peak for our own misfortunes." – Ed Viesturs

“Mountains are not stadiums in which I satisfy my ambitions, they are the cathedrals in which I practice my religion.” – Anatoly Boukreev

"There is probably no pleasure equal to the pleasure of climbing a dangerous alp; but it is a pleasure reserved exclusively for people who can find joy in it." – Mark Twain

"Because in the end, you don't remember the time you spent working in the office or mowing the lawn. Climb that goddamn mountain." – Jack Kerouac

“Better to increase our abilities than to decrease our advancement.” –Royal Robbins

“When you succeed with one dream...it doesn't take long before you conjure up another one, a little harder, a little more ambitious, a little more dangerous.” – Joe Simpson

“Life boils down to its essentials: If you are warm, regular, healthy, not thirsty or hungry, then you are not on a mountain... Climbing at height is like banging your head against a wall - it's great when you stop." - Chris Darwin

“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery of why we climb.” –Greg Child

"It's always further than it looks. It's always bigger than it looks. And it's always harder than it looks."– Reinhold Messner

alt=“the mountains of the Sierra Nevada”>John Muir is responsible for some of the greatest climbing quotes

“The mountains are calling and I must go.” –John Muir

“When preparing to climb a mountain – pack a light heart.” – Dan May

“Mountaineering is extended periods of intense boredom, punctuated by occasional moments of pure terror.” - Unknown

“Mountains aren’t fair or unfair, they’re just dangerous.” – Reinhold Messner

"I don't think about anything when I'm climbing, which is part of the appeal. I concentrate on executing what's in front of me." – Alex Honnold

“Without a rope there is no fear because a fall is unthinkable.” – Catherine Destivelle

“Mountaineering is my passion and the reason to empower women through my expeditions.” – Samina Baig

“The summit is only half the distance.” – Ed Viesturs

"There is a constant tension in climbing, and indeed in all exploration, between pushing into the unknown and trying not to go too far. The best thing any of us can do is tread that line carefully." – Alex Honnold

“If people want to do something big outdoors for their ego, let them climb snowy mountains instead of shooting animals.”– Konrad Anker

“We don’t conquer the mountain, we conquer ourselves.” –Edmund Hillary

alt=“Climbing quotes el capitan”>DreamtimeEl Capitan inspired some of these climbing quotes

“Climbing is a bit like masturbation – it’s pretty fun to do, but no one really wants to hear you talk about it or look at pictures of you doing it.” –Andy Kirkpatrick

“I’d rather be in the mountains thinking about God than thinking about the mountains in church.” –John Muir

“With the best equipment in the world, the man with poor judgment is in mortal danger.” – Royal Robbins

“Because it’s there.” – George Mallory's answer to the question "Why do you want to climb Mt. Everest?"

“Climbing is what I do.” – Anatoly Boukreev

“There is a simple equation between freedom and numbers: the more people, the less freedom.” –Royal Robbins

“We’re monkeys – we should climb.” – Alex Honnold

“Great things are accomplished when people and mountains meet.” – William Blake

"Climbing is my art; I get so much joy and satisfaction from it." –Jimmy Chin

"Jumping from boulder to boulder with a heavy backpack and never falling is easier than it sounds; you just can't fall if you get into the rhythm of the dance." – Jack Kerouac

“Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.” – Hermann Buhl

alt=“Climbing Quotes Eight-Thousanders”>DreamtimeEdurne Pasaban was the first woman to climb all 14 eight-thousanders

“After climbing all over the world and being at the foot of an 8,000m mountain, I realized how small we are compared to nature, which made me respect it.” – Edurne Pasaban

"I thought climbing Devil's Thumb would fix everything that was wrong with my life. In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing. But I learned to appreciate that mountains are poor containers for dreams." – Jon Krakauer

"There are only three sports: bullfighting, motorsports and mountaineering; everything else is just games." – Ernest Hemingway

“There is no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing.” –Sir Ranulph Fiennes

"You can't stay on the summit forever; you have to go back down. So why even bother? Just this: What's up knows what's down, but what's down doesn't know what's up. You climb, you see. You climb down, you don't see anymore, but you have seen." – René Daumal

"It's a round trip. The climb to the summit is optional, the descent is mandatory." – Ed Viesturs

“In the mountains there are only two degrees: either you can do it or you can’t.” – Rusty Baille

"Nobody climbs mountains for science. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for fun." –Edmund Hillary

"It's completely unseemly to gorge yourself in the mountains... I want to die with my feet up in front of the fire drinking a glass of red wine at the age of about 95." – Kenton Cool

“A first ascent is a creation in the same sense as a painting or a song.” –Royal Robbins

“Those who travel to mountain peaks are half in love with themselves and half with oblivion.” –Robert Macfarlane

“The summit is what drives us, but it’s the climb itself that counts.” – Konrad Anker

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