The rigors of scaling challenging terrains often shroud rock climbing’s bliss with its corresponding emotions of excitement, exhilaration, and thrills.
These terrains can be so rugged that after multiple trials and failures, climbers (beginners and advanced) become disheartened. Read on for climbing quotes for success.
Most advanced climbers often pick motivation because other climbers have completed these routes. Such as American climber Chris Sharma, who was motivated to ascend the challenging La Dura Dura rock in Spain after Adam Ondra completed it.
And Austrian climber Angela Eiter became the first woman to mount a 9b (5.15b) route, Spain’s La Planta de Shiva, after failing twice.
Before her successful ascent, Eiter prepared and motivated herself by watching videos of Adam Ondra, who ascended the route.
While deriving motivation from other climbers who have successfully climbed an incredibly difficult or more challenging route can be compelling, another significant motivation source is the plethora of rock climbing quotes by some of the world’s best climbers.
Rock Climbing Quotes
Sourced from the millions of words remarkable climbers and notable personalities have uttered.
Here are some of the best climbing quotes that can motivate you to continue climbing, despite the challenges.
“Anytime you finish a climb, there’s always the next thing you can try.”
Alex Honnold
“You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you.”
John Muir
“Climbing is often a group activity, and it’s always inspiring to see how other people, who share your passions, do things.”
Fred Nicole
“For a climber, saying that you are stopping by Everest is like saying that you are stopping by to see God.”
Ronald Smith
“Stand tall on the summit after a tedious climb. Take in the remarkable scenery and the exhilaration of accomplishment. But don’t pause for long; there are greater mountains to climb while you still possess the drive and capacity to do so.”
Richelle E. Goodrich
“Everyone wants to live on the top of the mountain, but all the happiness and growth occurs while you’re climbing it.”
Andy Rooney
“Without a rope, there is no fear because to fall is unthinkable.”
Catherine Destivelle
“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.”
Barry Finlay
“The harder you fall, the heavier your heart; the heavier your heart, the stronger you climb; the stronger you climb, the higher your pedestal.”
Criss Jami
“Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery of why climb.”
Greg Child
“Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees.”
John Muir
“In climbing, you are always faced with new problems in which you must perform using intuitive movements, and then later analyze them to figure out why they work, and then learn from them.”
Wolfgang Gullich
“Climbing is unadulterated hard labor. The only real pleasure is the satisfaction of going where no man has been before and where few can follow.”
Annie Smith Peck
“Climbing is an artistic, creative thing; it’s about being spontaneous, traveling, seeing the world, hanging out. It’s a balance of setting goals while enjoying the process, being ambitious without being too competitive.”
Chris Sharma
” The rope connecting two men on a mountain is more than nylon protection; it is an organic thing that transmits subtle messages of intent and disposition from man to man; it is an extension of the tactile senses, a psychological bond, a wire along which currents of communication flow.”
Trevanian
“Jumping from boulder to boulder and never falling, with a heavy pack, is easier than it sounds; you just can’t fall when you get into the rhythm of the dance.”
Jack Kerouac
“The best climber in the world is the one having the most fun!”
Alex Lowe
“To be a climber, one has to accept that gratification is rarely immediate.”
Bernadette McDonald
“The only zen thoughts you can find on a mountain summit are those you brought yourself.”
Robert Pirsig
“Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve; they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion.”
Anatoli Boukreev
“There is probably no pleasure equal to the pleasure of climbing a dangerous Alp, but it is a pleasure which is confined strictly to people who can find pleasure in it.”
Mark Twain
“There are two kinds of climbers, those who climb because their heart sings when they’re in the mountains, and all the rest.”
Alex Lowe
“Never measure the height of a mountain until you have reached the top. Then you will see how low it was.”
Dag Hammarskjold
“Mountains have a way of dealing with overconfidence.”
Hermann Buhl
“Having climbed all over the world, to be at the foot of an 8,000m mountain, made me realize how small we are compared to nature, which made me respect it.”
Edurne Pasaban
“You cannot stay on the summit forever; you have to come down again. So why bother in the first place? Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.”
René Daumal
“A first ascent is a creation in the same sense as is a painting or a song.”
Royal Robbins
Conclusion
With this compilation of various climbing quotes, we hope you have been inspired.
Please let us know your thoughts on our rock climbing quotes for success in the comments section below.
See 9 Best Rock Climbing Destinations in the World, 10 Best Rock Climbers in the World, and Rock Climbing Cost: Is it a Cheap or Expensive Sport?
