--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There are two kinds of climbers... smart…" description: "\"There are two kinds of climbers... smart ones and dead ones.\" — Don Whillans" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/don-whillans-71890_climbers_there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-on_271066.png" --- # There are two kinds of climbers... smart ones and dead ones. ![“There are two kinds of climbers... smart ones and dead ones.” quote by Don Whillans](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/don-whillans-71890_climbers_there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-on_271066.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/don-whillans-71890_climbers_there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-on_271066.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/don-whillans-71890_climbers_there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-on_271066.png) > “There are two kinds of climbers... smart ones and dead ones.” Don Whillans ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Climbers are either intelligent, adapting to challenges, or reckless, ignoring risks. **In simple terms:** Smart climbers adapt; dead ones ignore danger. Key Takeaway Choose knowledge over recklessness. Themes adventure risk decision-making skill Mood cautious inspirational Type philosophical motivational When to use this quote - expeditions - training - risk assessment Key Concepts mountaineering psychology Questions to Reflect On - What defines 'smart' in high‑risk pursuits? - How can you balance caution with ambition? A Different Perspective Smartness alone may not guarantee safety. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Climbers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbers/) [Smart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/smart/) ## Related quotes > [There are only two kinds of vampire hunters: good ones and dead ones.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/laurell-k-hamilton/there-are-only-two-kinds-of-vampire-hunters-good-ones-and-dead-ones/) [Laurell K. Hamilton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/laurell-k-hamilton/) > [I don't mind about the dead ones. They're dead. The worst of it is, they cling to the living and won't let go.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/larry-kramer/i-don-t-mind-about-the-dead-ones-they-re-dead-the-worst-of-it-is-they/) [Larry Kramer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/larry-kramer/) > [There are two kinds of climbers, those who climb because their heart sings when they're in the mountains, and all the rest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alex-lowe/there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-those-who-climb-because-their-heart/) [Alex Lowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alex-lowe/) > [“Without emotion, they died inside. They became the Dead Ones.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rio-youers/without-emotion-they-died-inside-they-became-the-dead-ones/) Rio Youers > [“What is this power the dead have over the ones they leave behind? It's strange and beautiful and frightening, this deathless love that human…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sangu-mandanna/what-is-this-power-the-dead-have-over-the-ones-they-leave-behind-it-s/) [Sangu Mandanna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sangu-mandanna/) > [At one time or another all normal people have wished their loved ones were dead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/at-one-time-or-another-all-normal-people-have-wished-their-loved-ones/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Jack said that maybe the more my life’s filled up with live people, the less I’ll think about the ones that’s dead. She made…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ninie-hammon/jack-said-that-maybe-the-more-my-life-s-filled-up-with-live-people/) [Ninie Hammon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ninie-hammon/) > [You look up at the stars and you don't know which ones are still alive; their light just hadn't faded yet. People are like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melchor-lim/you-look-up-at-the-stars-and-you-don-t-know-which-ones-are-still/) [Melchor Lim](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melchor-lim/) > [“What did she care what became of this world when her loved ones were dead and gone?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allie-burke/what-did-she-care-what-became-of-this-world-when-her-loved-ones-were/) [Allie Burke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allie-burke/) > [We set them presidents, to get them presidents. Over the ones that are dead, we'll put guns to your head. Put dots on your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-jones/we-set-them-presidents-to-get-them-presidents-over-the-ones-that-are/) [Jim Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-jones/) > [Climbers have no sense of smell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-anker/climbers-have-no-sense-of-smell/) Conrad Anker > [In his bleak mercy, Death forever strips The soul of light and memory, rendering blind Our vision, lest surmounted deeps appal, As when on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-ashton-smith/in-his-bleak-mercy-death-forever-strips-the-soul-of-light-and-memory/) [Clark Ashton Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-ashton-smith/) > [I love to read about the exploits of technical mountain climbers, but I've never done any vertical climbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/i-love-to-read-about-the-exploits-of-technical-mountain-climbers-but/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [“The two climbers looked at each other, a glance that bored all the way down to Medvetz's DNA - not desperate or pleading or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-heil/the-two-climbers-looked-at-each-other-a-glance-that-bored-all-the-way/) Nick Heil ## More by Don Whillans > [One thing to remember on the Eiger, never look up, or you may need a plastic surgeon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-whillans/one-thing-to-remember-on-the-eiger-never-look-up-or-you-may-need-a/) Don Whillans > [You guys going up? Yes, yes, we go up. You may be going a lot higher than you think!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-whillans/you-guys-going-up-yes-yes-we-go-up-you-may-be-going-a-lot-higher-than/) Don Whillans > [Never noticed a female monkey not climbing as well as a male, have you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-whillans/never-noticed-a-female-monkey-not-climbing-as-well-as-a-male-have-you/) Don Whillans Explore all 4 Don Whillans quotes ## More Climbers quotes > [“The two climbers looked at each other, a glance that bored all the way down to Medvetz's DNA - not desperate or pleading or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-heil/the-two-climbers-looked-at-each-other-a-glance-that-bored-all-the-way/) Nick Heil > [There's a lot of mountain climbers trapped inside of bodies of people behind the counter at Kinko's.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-rollins/there-s-a-lot-of-mountain-climbers-trapped-inside-of-bodies-of-people/) [Henry Rollins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-rollins/) > [I love to read about the exploits of technical mountain climbers, but I've never done any vertical climbing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/will-hobbs/i-love-to-read-about-the-exploits-of-technical-mountain-climbers-but/) [Will Hobbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/will-hobbs/) > [In his bleak mercy, Death forever strips The soul of light and memory, rendering blind Our vision, lest surmounted deeps appal, As when on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clark-ashton-smith/in-his-bleak-mercy-death-forever-strips-the-soul-of-light-and-memory/) [Clark Ashton Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clark-ashton-smith/) > [Lonnie says it doesn't take long to write a song if you're stricken with a severe case of the Tennysons. He wasn't necessarily talking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dan-jenkins/lonnie-says-it-doesn-t-take-long-to-write-a-song-if-you-re-stricken/) [Dan Jenkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dan-jenkins/) > [Climbers have no sense of smell.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conrad-anker/climbers-have-no-sense-of-smell/) Conrad Anker > [In his laborious efforts to attain mountaintops, where the air is lighter and purer, the climber gains new strength of limb. In the endeavor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-pius-xi/in-his-laborious-efforts-to-attain-mountaintops-where-the-air-is/) [Pope Pius XI](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-pius-xi/) > [the deepest part of me is, and will always be, a climber. ... No matter where I go, I always feel like a climber.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stacy-allison/the-deepest-part-of-me-is-and-will-always-be-a-climber-no-matter/) [Stacy Allison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stacy-allison/) > [Enjoyment, on the other hand, is not always pleasant, and it can be very stressful at times. A mountain climber, for example, may be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/enjoyment-on-the-other-hand-is-not-always-pleasant-and-it-can-be-very/) [Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mihaly-csikszentmihalyi/) > [Everest has a special place in all of our imaginations. For centuries, Everest was a little bit like the moon. It was the place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/everest-has-a-special-place-in-all-of-our-imaginations-for-centuries/) [Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/) > [Out of all the climbers of this generation, I was the one who became known to the larger public. Many of them - not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/reinhold-messner/out-of-all-the-climbers-of-this-generation-i-was-the-one-who-became/) [Reinhold Messner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/reinhold-messner/) > [If some people are right, artists are put into this world not to practice their art, but to talk about it. And judging by…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethel-smyth/if-some-people-are-right-artists-are-put-into-this-world-not-to/) [Ethel Smyth](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ethel-smyth/) > [Many have questioned the quality of this sort of achievement, deploring the use of pitons, tension traverses and expansion bolts, but the record speaks…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allen-steck/many-have-questioned-the-quality-of-this-sort-of-achievement/) Allen Steck > [Climbing for speed records will probably become more popular, a mania which has just begun. Climbers climb not just to see how fast and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/climbing-for-speed-records-will-probably-become-more-popular-a-mania/) [Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/) > [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.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/i-think-himalayan-climbers-tend-to-mature-fairly-late-i-think-most-of/) [Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/) [Browse all 125 Climbers quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbers/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "There are two kinds of climbers... smart ones and dead ones.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Don Whillans" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-whillans/there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-ones-and-dead-ones/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Climbers" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-whillans/there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-ones-and-dead-ones/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/don-whillans-71890_climbers_there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-on_271066.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/don-whillans-71890_climbers_there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-on_271066.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/351/don-whillans-71890_climbers_there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-on_271066.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“There are two kinds of climbers... smart ones and dead ones.” — Don Whillans", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Don Whillans", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/don-whillans/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "There are two kinds of climbers......", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-whillans/there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-ones-and-dead-ones/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-whillans/there-are-two-kinds-of-climbers-smart-ones-and-dead-ones/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```