I thought climbing the Devil's Thumb would fix all that was wrong with my life. In the end, of course, it changed almost nothing. But I came to appreciate that mountains make poor receptacles for dreams. — Jon Krakauer Copy Share Image
Early on a difficult climb, especially a solo climb, you’re hyper-aware of the abyss pulling at your back, constantly feeling its call, its immense… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“Climbing mattered. The danger bathed the world in a halogen glow that caused everything—the sweep of the rock, the orange and yellow lichens, the… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
He read a lot. He used a lot of big words. I think maybe part of what got him into trouble was that he… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
But [Everett] and McCandless, at least they tried to follow their dream. That’s what was great about them. They tried. Not many do. — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“he was ready, perhaps, to shed a little of the armor he wore around his heart, that upon returning to civilization, he intended to… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“Continually question climbing pursuits. Do they draw one back to the climbing community? Or do they lead along the [inner-directed] path? This questioning generates… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“The boy unmasked the gaping void in Franz's life even as he helped fill it.” — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“Unlike Muir and Thoreau, McCandless went into the wilderness not primarily to ponder nature or the world at large but, rather, to explore the… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
I'm intrigued by fanatics - people who are seduced by the promise, or the illusion, of the absolute. — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
You are wrong if you think Joy emanates only or principally from human relationships. God has placed it all around us. It is in… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
I mean, how can you not be a feminist if you have a brain in your head? If you’re not a feminist, then you’re… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“...I quickly came to understand that climbing Everest was primarily about enduring pain. And in subjecting ourselves to week after week of toil, tedium,… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“going to have to be real careful not to accept any gifts from them in the future because they will think they have bought… — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
“He must have been very brave and very strong, at the end, not to do himself in.” — Jon Krakauer Copy Share
