I became famous for the fact that I would break many, many limits. People said, 'He does all these crazy things.' But oddly it was a crazy thing only because scientists and climbers said, 'Everest and the 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen - impossible. Messner is becoming sick in his head.'
Not only during the ascent, but also during the descent my willpower is dulled. The longer I climb the less important the goal_x000D_ seems to me, the more indifferent I become to myself. My attention_x000D_ has diminished, my memory is weakened. My mental fatigue is now_x000D_ greater than the bodily. It is so pleasant to sit doing nothing - and therefore so dangerous. Death through exhaustion is like death_x000D_ through freezing - a pleasant one.
Interpretation
What this quote means
This quote reflects on the diminishing importance of goals during challenges, highlighting the struggle between willpower and the tempting allure of complacency.
Reinhold Messner explores the psychological effects of perseverance and ambition, noting that as one progresses toward a goal, the significance of that goal may fade, leading to mental fatigue and indifference. He warns of the dangers of complacency, suggesting that succumbing to the desire to do nothing can lead to a metaphorical 'death' of one's aspirations and ambitions, paralleling exhaustion with the numbness of freezing.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
This quote is perfect for a motivational speech to encourage resilience despite challenges.
More from Reinhold Messner
All quotes →A 30-year-old rock climber is an old man. At 40, one is in the middle of his high-altitude power. At 50, a crosser of deserts is at his best age. But at 60, each of us is out of the game.
I think my cultural work is more important than the adventures I did. The adventures are not important for human beings. It's the conquering of the useless.
In mountaineering, there is not only the activity, but the philosophy behind it. Some say a moral, but I am against that because all morality is dangerous.
I was the first man to climb the world's 14 tallest peaks without supplementary oxygen, but I never asked how high I would go, just how I would do it.
In my state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belong to myself and to my eyesight. I am nothing more than a single narrow gasping lung, floating over the mists and summits.
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