When it's been a long day of climbing, and I feel like I can't go any farther, I concentrate on the next three feet. And then the next three feet; and then the next three feet. Pretty soon, I'm at the top.
Interpretation
Focus on small, manageable steps to achieve your goals.
This quote by Royal Robbins emphasizes the importance of breaking down challenges into smaller, achievable tasks. When faced with overwhelming obstacles, concentrating on incremental progress rather than the entire journey can facilitate eventual success and lead one to their ultimate destination.
In practice
During a motivational speech about overcoming challenges.
My ambition was to become the best climber and I never did. I think that goal was a wrong goal. A better one is to put more emphasis on enjoyment and on getting a rounded experience and on things like friendship, rather than on sheer achievement.
The terrible thing about free soloing difficult routes that are within one's capacity, is the chance that faced with ultimate danger and need for ultimate self-control, one's nerve might fail and cause an error. That's irony of it - that fear could short-circiut skill, that one would die as a direcy result of being afraid to die.
All that Adam had, all that Caesar could, you have and can do.... Build, therefore, your own world.
Whatever you do, make sure you want to write more than you want to be a writer. Make sure you want to act more than you want to be an actor. That is what will sustain you.
You have the choice to create the life your heart is yearning to live.
People think I'm disciplined. It is not discipline. It is devotion. There is a great difference.
Give us, O give us the man who sings at his work! Be his occupation what it may, he is equal to any of those who follow the same pursuit in silent sullenness. He will do more in the same time . . . he will do it better . . . he will persevere longer. One is scarcely sensible to fatigue while he marches to music. The very stars are said to make harmony as they revolve in their spheres.
Almost all good writing begins with terrible first efforts. You need to start somewhere.
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