The true alpinist doesn't want any infrastructure, he wants to go into the wild. And the odds of getting killed there are relatively high. And most people are sensible enough not to want that.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the adventurous spirit of true alpinists who seek the thrill of the wild, accepting the inherent dangers involved.
Reinhold Messner highlights the essence of true alpinism: a deep desire to explore untamed nature without reliance on modern infrastructure. While this pursuit carries a significant risk of danger, it is this very challenge that distinguishes genuine adventurers from those who play it safe, reflecting a courage that embraces uncertainty and the sublime beauty of the wilderness.
In practice
This quote can be used to inspire fellow climbers and adventurers during motivational talks.
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.'
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.
[talking about the race at Imola circuit] There are no small accidents on this circuit.
Want of pluck shows want of blood.
Don't stand back with your arms folded; step forward... There is hope and light to resist injustice and promote peace without violence.
No one is so brave that he is not disturbed by something unexpected.
The thing about a hero, is even when it doesn't look like there's a light at the end of the tunnel, he's going to keep digging, he's going to keep trying to do right and make up for what's gone before, just because that's who he is.
If women are being oppressed in Egypt or children are being forced to join armies in the Congo, for example, it is not only acceptable but wonderful for Americans to be concerned, outraged, and active.
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