I am a lucky man. I have had a dream and it has come true, and that is not a thing that happens often to men.
Interpretation
The speaker expresses gratitude for achieving a dream, recognizing its rarity.
In this quote, Edmund Hillary reflects on the importance of dreams and the fulfillment that comes with achieving them. He acknowledges the extraordinary nature of realizing one's aspirations, highlighting that this doesn't happen to everyone and emphasizing the sentiment of gratitude and fulfillment that accompanies such accomplishments.
In practice
In a graduation speech to inspire students.
I think I mainly climb mountains because I get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I never attempt to analyze these things too thoroughly, but I think that all mountaineers do get a great deal of satisfaction out of overcoming some challenge which they think is very difficult for them, or which perhaps may be a little dangerous.
Despite all I have seen and experiences, I still get the same thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow in a high mountain gully and feel the same urge to climb toward it.
I've always hated the danger part of climbing, and it's great to come down again because it's safe.
Even when you're 50, you can make the effort to improve your standards.
Many people have been getting too casual about climbing Everest. I forecast a disaster many times.
Ever since the morning of May 29, 1953, when Tenzing Norgay and I became the first climbers to step onto the summit of Mount Everest, I've been called a great adventurer.
The secret of success in every field is redefining what success means to you. It can't be your parent's definition, the media's definition, or your neighbor's definition. Otherwise, success will never satisfy you.
History has demonstrated that the most notable winners usually encountered heartbreaking obstacles before they triumphed. They won because they refused to become discouraged by their defeats.
That feeling of being the NBA Champion is really unparalleled, because you're the best in the world. Without question. How many people can say that in any profession?
Entrepreneurs are like visionaries. One of the ways they run forward is by viewing the thing they're doing as something that's going to be the whole world.
I may not hit 50, 40 or 30 home runs, but I can do the little things like moving runners over that don't show up in the box score.
If you're trying to create a company, it's like baking a cake. You have to have all the ingredients in the right proportion.
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