--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The experience of climbing Kilimanjaro…" description: "\"The experience of climbing Kilimanjaro affected me so powerfully that, for a long time afterward, if I caught myself saying, \"I'm not a person who like..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1e/michael-crichton-694_activity_the-experience-of-climbing-kilimanjaro-a_562109.jpg" --- # The experience of climbing Kilimanjaro affected me so… ![“The experience of climbing Kilimanjaro affected me so powerfully that, for a long time afterward, if I caught myself saying, "I'm not a person who likes to do that activity, eat that food, listen to that music," I would automatically go out and do what I imagined I didn't like. Generally I found I…” quote by Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1e/michael-crichton-694_activity_the-experience-of-climbing-kilimanjaro-a_562109.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1e/michael-crichton-694_activity_the-experience-of-climbing-kilimanjaro-a_562109.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/a1e/michael-crichton-694_activity_the-experience-of-climbing-kilimanjaro-a_562109.jpg) > “The experience of climbing Kilimanjaro affected me so powerfully that, for a long time afterward, if I caught myself saying, "I'm not a person who likes to do that activity, eat that food, listen to that music," I would automatically go out and do what I imagined I didn't like. Generally I found I was wrong about myself - I liked what I thought I wouldn't like. And even if I didn't like the particular experience, I learned I liked having new experiences.” [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Assuming dislikes without trying leads to missed self‑discovery; new experiences reveal hidden preferences. **In simple terms:** Trying new things shows true likes. Key Takeaway Experiment with activities you think you dislike. Themes self‑discovery growth experience Mood reflective optimistic Type motivational philosophical When to use this quote - travel - culinary exploration - music festivals - sports trials Key Concepts psychology behavioral change open‑mindedness Questions to Reflect On - What assumptions about yourself need testing? - How often do you seek new experiences? A Different Perspective Comfort zones can limit learning. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Activity](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) [Affected](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affected/) [Caught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/caught/) [Climbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbing/) [Climbing Kilimanjaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbing-kilimanjaro-4658183/) [Experience Climbing](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experience-climbing-4658182/) [Experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/experiences/) [Found](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/found/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Kilimanjaro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/kilimanjaro/) [Likes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/likes/) [Long](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long/) [Long time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/long-time/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [New experiences](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/new-experiences/) [Particular](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular/) [Particular Experience](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/particular-experience-1913373/) [Persons](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/persons/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/) ## Related quotes > [“We’re not looking for any particular experience, for the breath or the body to be a special way. Rather, we’re simply listening to, being…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-re-not-looking-for-any-particular-experience-for-the-breath-or-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [It would be hard to say what my life would be like unattached to this particular experience.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-would-be-hard-to-say-what-my-life-would-be-like-unattached-to-this/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [A hallucination is a species of reality, as capable of teaching you as a videotape about Kilimanjaro or anything else that falls through your…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/terence-mckenna/a-hallucination-is-a-species-of-reality-as-capable-of-teaching-you-as/) [Terence McKenna](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/terence-mckenna/) > [My father ended up starting the Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre, which is on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. My mother started a school.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/greg-mortenson/my-father-ended-up-starting-the-kilimanjaro-christian-medical-centre/) [Greg Mortenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/greg-mortenson/) > [Nick swore he'd die with this boots on, on some exotic safari, but he found his Kilimanjaro in a hospital on Earth, where they'd…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/nick-swore-he-d-die-with-this-boots-on-on-some-exotic-safari-but-he/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [It has always been a goal of mine to climb Kilimanjaro, so that's definitely happening, and I may write a memoir about it. When…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elin-hilderbrand/it-has-always-been-a-goal-of-mine-to-climb-kilimanjaro-so-that-s/) [Elin Hilderbrand](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elin-hilderbrand/) > [Kilimanjaro is a snow-covered mountain 19,710 feet high, and is said to be the highest mountain in Africa. Its western summit is called the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/kilimanjaro-is-a-snow-covered-mountain-19-710-feet-high-and-is-said/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [I wouldn't mind spending six months a year having a private jet take me around the world to visit natural and historical landmarks like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/megalyn-echikunwoke/i-wouldn-t-mind-spending-six-months-a-year-having-a-private-jet-take/) [Megalyn Echikunwoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/megalyn-echikunwoke/) > [I went out to Mount Kilimanjaro, which I thought was very beautiful, but there were a lot of people there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-fiennes/i-went-out-to-mount-kilimanjaro-which-i-thought-was-very-beautiful/) [Ralph Fiennes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-fiennes/) > [I am climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro in Africa this Summer as a personal physical goal for myself, but also as a way to bring on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cat-cora/i-am-climbing-mt-kilimanjaro-in-africa-this-summer-as-a-personal/) [Cat Cora](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cat-cora/) > [I climbed Kilimanjaro when I was 18.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vick-hope/i-climbed-kilimanjaro-when-i-was-18/) [Vick Hope](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vick-hope/) > [“great, high, and unbelievably white in the sun, was the square top of Kilimanjaro.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hemingway/great-high-and-unbelievably-white-in-the-sun-was-the-square-top-of/) [Ernest Hemingway](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hemingway/) > [“Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/barry-finlay/every-mountain-top-is-within-reach-if-you-just-keep-climbing/) [Barry Finlay](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/barry-finlay/) > [I did the Kilimanjaro climb a few years ago, then the six-day trek to Machu Picchu in Peru so this bike ride to raise…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/denise-van-outen/i-did-the-kilimanjaro-climb-a-few-years-ago-then-the-six-day-trek-to/) [Denise Van Outen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/denise-van-outen/) > [“We might not want to share our food or our money, but we do want to share our judgement. We want others to think…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tibor-fischer/we-might-not-want-to-share-our-food-or-our-money-but-we-do-want-to/) [Tibor Fischer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tibor-fischer/) ## More by Michael Crichton > [They are focused on whether they can do something. They never think whether they should do something.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/they-are-focused-on-whether-they-can-do-something-they-never-think/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [This is the gift of your species and this is the danger, because you do not choose to control your imaginings. You imagine wonderful…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-is-the-gift-of-your-species-and-this-is-the-danger-because-you/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [“it is important to recognize that the behavior of the two antagonists mirrors each other, like a Rorschach inkblot. The value of a Rorschach…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/it-is-important-to-recognize-that-the-behavior-of-the-two-antagonists/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Exercise invigorates the body and sharpens the mind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/exercise-invigorates-the-body-and-sharpens-the-mind/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Social control is best managed through fear.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/social-control-is-best-managed-through-fear/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [They always say they didn't. I never heard of one who said, 'You know, I deserve this.' Never happens.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/they-always-say-they-didn-t-i-never-heard-of-one-who-said-you-know-i/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Friendships are nice. So is competence.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/friendships-are-nice-so-is-competence/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [I can tell you that second hand smoke is not a health hazard to anyone and never was, and the EPA has always known…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/i-can-tell-you-that-second-hand-smoke-is-not-a-health-hazard-to/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [As the practical value of altering consciousness becomes recognized, procedures to effect these alterations will become increasingly ordinary and unremarkable. The whole concept of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/as-the-practical-value-of-altering-consciousness-becomes-recognized/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [In any case, you read with exasperation or amusement the multiple errors in a story-and then turn the page to national or international affairs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/in-any-case-you-read-with-exasperation-or-amusement-the-multiple/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Books aren't written - they're rewritten. Including your own. It is one of the hardest things to accept, especially after the seventh rewrite hasn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/books-aren-t-written-they-re-rewritten-including-your-own-it-is-one/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [The purpose of life is to stay alive. Watch any animal in nature--all it tries to do is stay alive. It doesn't care about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/the-purpose-of-life-is-to-stay-alive-watch-any-animal-in-nature-all/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [One of the things that Americans, as a multiracial society, feel is a tremendous sensitivity to racial comments of all kinds.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/one-of-the-things-that-americans-as-a-multiracial-society-feel-is-a/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [Nobody smart knows what they want to do until they get into their twenties or thirties.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/nobody-smart-knows-what-they-want-to-do-until-they-get-into-their/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) > [This fascination with computer models is something I understand very well. Richard Feynmann called it a disease. I fear he is right.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-crichton/this-fascination-with-computer-models-is-something-i-understand-very/) [Michael Crichton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) [Explore all 386 Michael Crichton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-crichton/) ## More Activity quotes > [Where I grew up, learning was a collective activity. But when I got to school and tried to share learning with other students that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-giroux/where-i-grew-up-learning-was-a-collective-activity-but-when-i-got-to/) [Henry Giroux](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/henry-giroux/) > [It must be assumed and established as a principle, that the right of private property must be regarded as sacred. Wherefore, the law ought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pope-leo-xiii/it-must-be-assumed-and-established-as-a-principle-that-the-right-of/) [Pope Leo XIII](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pope-leo-xiii/) > [Each man is capable of doing one thing well. If he attempts several, he will fail to achieve distinction in any.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plato/each-man-is-capable-of-doing-one-thing-well-if-he-attempts-several-he/) [Plato](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plato/) > [And also I think the rise of other, you could say, destinations for international jihadis mean that Pakistan isn't necessarily the place where people…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mohsin-hamid/and-also-i-think-the-rise-of-other-you-could-say-destinations-for/) [Mohsin Hamid](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mohsin-hamid/) > [To evoke in oneself a feeling one has once experienced, and having evoked it in oneself, then by means of movements, lines, colors, sounds,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leo-tolstoy/to-evoke-in-oneself-a-feeling-one-has-once-experienced-and-having/) [Leo Tolstoy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leo-tolstoy/) > [Fighting's fun, man. It's a great activity, it's a great sport.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/matt-mitrione/fighting-s-fun-man-it-s-a-great-activity-it-s-a-great-sport/) [Matt Mitrione](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/matt-mitrione/) > [There were books everywhere in my house. Books were very present. I just loved books. I never understood reading as anything but a pleasurable…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lisa-lucas/there-were-books-everywhere-in-my-house-books-were-very-present-i/) [Lisa Lucas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lisa-lucas/) > [For war to man, like childbirth to women, is simplifying in its emotions and activities. All the real problems of life can be put…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pearl-s-buck/for-war-to-man-like-childbirth-to-women-is-simplifying-in-its/) [Pearl S. Buck](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pearl-s-buck/) > [The only activity a cynic will find contagious is yawning, that is, with other people, at other people.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/criss-jami/the-only-activity-a-cynic-will-find-contagious-is-yawning-that-is/) [Criss Jami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/criss-jami/) > [For the longest time, neuroscientists were forced to be passive observers of brain activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gero-miesenbock/for-the-longest-time-neuroscientists-were-forced-to-be-passive/) [Gero Miesenbock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gero-miesenbock/) > [Enjoyment is not a goal, it is a feeling that accompanies important ongoing activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-goodman/enjoyment-is-not-a-goal-it-is-a-feeling-that-accompanies-important/) [Paul Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-goodman/) > [Once an activity has been socialized, it is impossible to point out, by concrete example, how men in a free market could better conduct…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonard-read/once-an-activity-has-been-socialized-it-is-impossible-to-point-out-by/) [Leonard Read](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonard-read/) > [“Fun is not an activity, it is a state of mind.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bryant-mcgill/fun-is-not-an-activity-it-is-a-state-of-mind/) [Bryant McGill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bryant-mcgill/) > [I have to consider everything I eat; I consider every activity I do.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-kimball/i-have-to-consider-everything-i-eat-i-consider-every-activity-i-do/) [Charlie Kimball](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-kimball/) > [Almost all good businesses engage in 'pain today, gain tomorrow' activities.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlie-munger/almost-all-good-businesses-engage-in-pain-today-gain-tomorrow/) [Charlie Munger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlie-munger/) [Browse all 3,263 Activity quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/activity/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The experience of climbing Kilimanjaro affected me so powerfully that, for a long time afterward, if I caught myself saying, \"I'm not a person who likes to do that activity, eat that food, listen to that music,\" I would automatically go out and do what I imagined I didn't like. 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