I am inclined to think that the realm of mythology is where the Yeti rightly belongs.

When I was 50 years old, I actually decided to draw up a list of half a dozen things that I really hadn’t done very well, and I was going to make efforts to improve. One of them was skiing, and I really did become a very much better skier.

Every mountain presents an opportunity for greatness.

If I wished to do something, even if I couldn’t find anyone who wanted to make the effort with me, I would go out solo climbing. I did find solo climbing very challenging and a little frightening. You knew that you were completely on your own, and you had to overcome all the problems and possible dangers.

Mountains are a great teacher of perseverance and strength.

Every climb is a new chapter in the story of personal growth and achievement.

Tourism is a very big economic benefit to the Sherpa people, and also, they have very strong ties to their own social attitudes and their own religion, so fortunately, they’re not too influenced by many of our Western attitudes.

The summit is just a milestone in a journey of continuous growth and exploration.

I was definitely very much a country boy.

Take advantage of the years of pioneering efforts. You might find this boring, as the young want to rush head on, as it were.

Every climb is an opportunity to push beyond your limits and grow stronger.

With all respect, Sahib, you have little to teach us in strength and toughness. And we do not envy you your restless spirits. Perhaps we are happier than you? But we would like our children to go to school. Of all the things you have, learning is the one we most desire for our children.

Mountains challenge us to be our best selves and reveal our true potential.

My mother was a schoolteacher and very keen that I go to a city school, so although it was fairly impoverished times, I traveled every day to the Auckland Grammar School.

When you’re climbing at high altitudes, life can get pretty miserable.

I think that a good mountaineer is usually a sensible mountaineer.

The climb is a journey that tests our strength, courage, and resolve.

As a youngster I was a great dreamer, reading many books of adventure and walking lonely miles with my head in the clouds.

I think Himalayan climbers tend to mature fairly late. I think most of the successful Himalayan climbers have ranged from 28 to just over 40, really.

Every ascent is a testament to the power of human determination and spirit.

The true reward of climbing is the personal growth and resilience gained along the way.

Mountains offer a chance to test our limits and discover new strengths.

Success in climbing is about more than reaching the top; it’s about overcoming challenges and growing.

I have discovered that even the mediocre can have adventures and even the fearful can achieve.

I really haven’t liked the commercialization of mountaineering, particularly of Mt. Everest. By paying $65,000, you can be conducted to the summit by a couple of good guides.

Mount Everest, you beat me the first time, but I’ll beat you the next time because you’ve grown all you are going to grow… but I’m still growing!

Some day I’m going to climb Everest.

I hate being called an ‘icon.’ I just don’t like it. That’s all there is to it.

The journey of climbing a mountain is a powerful metaphor for life’s challenges and triumphs.

I have never regarded myself as a hero, but Tenzing undoubtedly was.

Mountains are a way to test your limits and discover who you really are.

The real victory lies in mastering yourself, not in overcoming obstacles.

I think the whole attitude towards climbing Mount Everest has become rather horrifying. The people just want to get to the top. They don’t give a damn for anybody else who may be in distress and it doesn’t impress me at all that they leave someone lying under a rock to die.

It’s not a real adventure when you have to pay for it

Many people have been getting too casual about climbing Everest. I forecast a disaster many times.

To succeed, you need to have a dream, a goal, and the determination to see it through.

Life is about moving forward, no matter how steep the path.

I am hell-bent for the South Pole — God willing and crevasses permitting.

The Sherpas play a very important role in most mountaineering expeditions, and in fact many of them lead along the ridges and up to the summit.

My relationship with the mountains actually started when I was 16. Every year, a group used to be taken from Auckland Grammar down to the Tangariro National Park for a skiing holiday.

The thrill of the climb is not just in reaching the summit but in the challenge of getting there.

One does not conquer the mountain; one conquers oneself.

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.

No one remembers who climbed Mount Everest the second time.

On the summit of Everest, I had a feeling of great satisfaction to be first there.

In the face of adversity, we find out what we are really made of.

I found that it was often not the summit that was important, but the journey to get there.

Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it.

Life’s a bit like mountaineering – never look down.

Adventuring can be for the ordinary person with ordinary qualities, such as I regard myself.

Nothing worth having comes easy.

You learn more from the experience of failing than from the experience of success.

I think it all comes down to motivation. If you really want to do something, you will work hard for it.

The explorers of the past were great men and we should honour them. But let us not forget that their spirit lives on. It is still not hard to find a man who will adventure for the sake of a dream or one who will search, for the pleasure of searching, not for what he may find.

The truth is, I’m just a rough old New Zealander who has enjoyed many challenges in his life.

The mountain may be high, but it is not as high as the spirit of a determined person.

Strong motivation is the most important factor in getting you to the top.

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.

Success is not final, failure is not fatal: It is the courage to continue that counts.

To climb a mountain is to be reminded that our greatest asset is perseverance.

It is the journey that counts, not the destination.

There is precious little in civilization to appeal to a yeti.

Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain.

While on top of Everest, I looked across the valley towards the great peak Makalu and mentally worked out a route about how it could be climbed. It showed me that even though I was standing on top of the world, it wasn’t the end of everything. I was still looking beyond to other interesting challenges.

If you are prepared, you will be able to handle whatever comes your way.

The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.

Environmental problems are really social problems anyway. They begin with people as the cause and end with people as the victims.

Mountains are not fair or unfair, they are just dangerous.

With practice and focus, you can extend yourself far more than you ever believed possible.

You don’t have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things — to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated to reach challenging goals. The intense effort, the giving of everything you’ve got, is a very pleasant bonus.

Good planning is important. I’ve also regarded a sense of humor as one of the most important things on a big expedition. When you’re in a difficult or dangerous situation, or when you’re depressed about the chances of success, someone who can make you laugh eases the tension.

The struggle itself towards the heights is enough to fill a man’s heart. One must imagine Sisyphus happy.

You don’t have to be a hero to achieve great things. Just be an ordinary person with extraordinary determination.

People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves.