My solar plexus was tight with fear as I ploughed on. Halfway up I stopped, exhausted. I could look down 10,000 feet between my legs, and I have never felt more insecure. Anxiously I waved Tenzing up to me.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- The speaker felt intense fear and insecurity while climbing, yet continued forward until exhaustion forced a stop.
- In plain terms
- Fear made the climb hard, but he kept going until he had to rest.
- What can you take from it?
- Fear is common in extreme challenges, but persistence is required.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- How do you push through fear?
- What stops you from continuing?
Another view
Fear can sometimes paralyze rather than motivate.
More from Edmund Hillary
Well, we knocked the bastard off!
Permalink to quote #2 I am hell-bent for the South Pole - God willing and crevasses permitting.
Permalink to quote #3 Better if he had said something natural like, 'Jesus, here we are.'
Permalink to quote #4
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