There's no difference between a pessimist who says, "Oh it's hopeless, so don't bother doing anything." and an optimist who says, "Don't bother doing anything, it's going to turn out fine anyways. Either way, nothing happens."
The future of Yosemite climbing lies not in Yosemite, but in using the new techniques in the great granite ranges of the world.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The evolution of climbing in Yosemite should inspire climbers to explore and enhance techniques in other significant mountains worldwide.
Yvon Chouinard's quote emphasizes that while Yosemite is a revered location for climbing, the true progression of the sport lies in adapting and utilizing the climbing techniques developed there in other granite ranges around the globe. It suggests that innovation in climbing should not be limited to one area but should extend to all places where climbing can be pursued, thus broadening the horizons of the sport.
Themes
In practice
Example use cases
During a climbing workshop, the instructor referenced this quote to inspire participants to seek new challenges beyond their familiar climbing spots.
More from Yvon Chouinard
All quotes βI think risk is important. I don't care if it's a great financial risk or a physical risk. You only get out of something what you put into it and the fact that you are willing to risk something means that you are going to get a lot more out of it.
The solution may be for a lot of the world's problems is to turn around and take a forward step. You can't just keep trying to make a flawed system work.
We're a part of nature. As we destroy nature, we destroy ourselves. It's a selfish thing to want to protect nature.
Evil doesnβt have to be an overt act; it can be merely the absence of good. If you have the ability, the resources, and the opportunity to do good and you do nothing, that can be evil.
The reason it was so scary was that there was only one climber capable of rescuing us, and that was Layton Kor, and he was in Colorado.
Similar quotes
I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth into the air without knowing the uncertainty and the exhilaration of first-born adventure.
If you're going to immerse yourself in a project for three years, why not stake out a chunk of the world that is completely alien to you and go traveling?
Adventure is the invitation to common people to become uncommon.
But I always liked side-paths, little dark back-alleys behind the main road- there one finds adventures and surprises, and precious metal in the dirt.
Climbing K2 or floating the Grand Canyon in an inner tube; there are some things one would rather have done than do.
There are people who travel because they want to push themselves to physical limits, people who walk across deserts or cycle across the Antarctic - like Ranulph Fiennes, who just does it because it's there. And then there are people like me, who are just genuinely curious about the world.