George Mallory, on climbing Everest: Because it’s there.
It was just a quip that became famous.
What Mallory had been saying all along was:
We hope to show that the spirit
that built the British Empire is not yet dead.
Levison Wood, on walking the length of the Nile:
I wanted to follow in a great tradition,
to achieve something unusual and inspire in others
the thirst to do the same.
Why the common people among us walk long-distance hiking trails:
To challenge themselves,
physically and mentally;
To connect with nature;
Personal growth;
To build self-confidence;
To escape the worries of daily life;
Personal reflection;
Self-discovery;
To decide what to do next in life.
Most commonly,
I don’t know why I want to walk this trail,
I just do.
My why:
I have wanted to walk across Canada
since I was eight years old,
when my father placed a map of Canada
before his children to show them
where we lived in the world.
I will do this walk,
not because I’m particularly jazzed about the idea,
but because I must.
To say ‘no’ would mean a lifetime of regret.
Regret is a more powerful motivator than desire.
It’s an itch that needs to be scratched.
It’s a way of providing meaning in my life.
Action will always answer the question of
“What is my purpose right now?”
I will be the choreographer of my life.
I’m doing the walk for the sheer poetry of it.
