--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I don't think people would climb…" description: "\"I don't think people would climb mountains or jump off bridges with parachutes or kayak Class V rapids if those things didn't offer the brief and horri..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/sebastian-junger-4689_bridges_i-don-t-think-people-would-climb-mountai_3227820.png" --- # I don't think people would climb mountains or jump off… ![“I don't think people would climb mountains or jump off bridges with parachutes or kayak Class V rapids if those things didn't offer the brief and horrible illusion of imminent death. They would just be complicated, time-consuming endeavors that we'd steer well clear of because they got in the way…” quote by Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/sebastian-junger-4689_bridges_i-don-t-think-people-would-climb-mountai_3227820.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/sebastian-junger-4689_bridges_i-don-t-think-people-would-climb-mountai_3227820.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/43c/sebastian-junger-4689_bridges_i-don-t-think-people-would-climb-mountai_3227820.png) > “I don't think people would climb mountains or jump off bridges with parachutes or kayak Class V rapids if those things didn't offer the brief and horrible illusion of imminent death. They would just be complicated, time-consuming endeavors that we'd steer well clear of because they got in the way of real life.” [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Risky activities appeal because they simulate imminent death, providing a thrilling illusion. **In simple terms:** Risk offers a death‑like thrill. Key Takeaway Seek safe excitement elsewhere. Themes psychology risk adventure Mood thoughtful cautionary Type psychological philosophical When to use this quote - extreme sports - risk assessment - mental health - life planning Key Concepts Mortality illusion thrill seeking Questions to Reflect On - Why do we chase danger? - How can we find meaning without risk? A Different Perspective Such thrills can become addictive or harmful. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Bridges](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) [Bridges Parachutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges-parachutes-6093537/) [Class](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/class/) [Clear](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/clear/) [Climbs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climbs/) [Complicated](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/complicated/) [Consuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consuming/) [Death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/death/) [Endeavor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/endeavor/) [Horrible](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horrible/) [Illusion](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/illusion/) [Imminent death](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imminent-death/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Mountain](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mountain/) [Offers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/offers/) [Parachutes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parachutes/) [Parachutes Kayak](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/parachutes-kayak-6093538/) [People](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people/) [Rapids](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rapids/) [Real](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real/) [Real life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/real-life/) [Thinking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/thinking/) [Time consuming](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time-consuming/) [Way](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/way/) [Wells](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/wells/) ## Related quotes > [During the air war of 1944, a four-man combat crew on a B-17 bomber took a vow to never abandon one another no matter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/during-the-air-war-of-1944-a-four-man-combat-crew-on-a-b-17-bomber/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“Keeda had survived the death of her Titan, murdered by a Lysander Reaver in black and white that killed them without looking twice. She…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aaron-dembski-bowden/keeda-had-survived-the-death-of-her-titan-murdered-by-a-lysander/) [Aaron Dembski-Bowden](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aaron-dembski-bowden/) > [“Rightly to be great Is not to stir without great argument, But greatly to find quarrel in a straw When honor’s at the stake.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-shakespeare/rightly-to-be-great-is-not-to-stir-without-great-argument-but-greatly-2/) [William Shakespeare](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/william-shakespeare/) > [“He recounted how, after the last of Charlemagne's forty-seven victorious campaigns, when he was returning from Saxony, a comet flashed across the sky and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/trevor-ravenscroft/he-recounted-how-after-the-last-of-charlemagne-s-forty-seven/) [Trevor Ravenscroft](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/trevor-ravenscroft/) > [“It’s said people can sense their imminent death. Maybe they hear death’s song in the wind. Or the earth stops turning for a second,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jayde-scott/it-s-said-people-can-sense-their-imminent-death-maybe-they-hear-death/) [Jayde Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jayde-scott/) > [There's a lot of Hollywood bullshit about flying. I mean, look at the movies about test pilots or fighter pilots who face imminent death.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-olds/there-s-a-lot-of-hollywood-bullshit-about-flying-i-mean-look-at-the/) [Robin Olds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-olds/) > [“Lok’tar ogar!” The daemon holding me pulled my head back, exposing my throat. “Victory or death,” I retorted at my captor hoarsely. “For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/allison-pang/lok-tar-ogar-the-daemon-holding-me-pulled-my-head-back-exposing-my/) [Allison Pang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/allison-pang/) > [If I can't joke about imminent death, then I might as well just resign.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/james-a-owen/if-i-can-t-joke-about-imminent-death-then-i-might-as-well-just-resign/) [James A. Owen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/james-a-owen/) > [“Imminent death is a fact of life”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/valentine-adams/imminent-death-is-a-fact-of-life/) [Valentine Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/valentine-adams/) > [“But as he stands before imminent death, he grasps its nature also, and the cosmic import of the step to come. His creative imagination…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-wessel-zapffe/but-as-he-stands-before-imminent-death-he-grasps-its-nature-also-and/) [Peter Wessel Zapffe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-wessel-zapffe/) > [“An Italian text from 1490 shows how spontaneous and natural was the clear recognition of imminent death, and how fundamentally alien to the miraculous…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philippe-ari-s/an-italian-text-from-1490-shows-how-spontaneous-and-natural-was-the/) [Philippe Ariès](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philippe-ari-s/) > [“There's something about imminent death that makes all the threads weave into a picture...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lauren-destefano/there-s-something-about-imminent-death-that-makes-all-the-threads/) [Lauren DeStefano](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lauren-destefano/) > [“Blitz and Hearth were almost at the shore when Alex stopped abruptly. I didn't have any energy left either, but I thought I should…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rick-riordan/blitz-and-hearth-were-almost-at-the-shore-when-alex-stopped-abruptly/) [Rick Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rick-riordan/) > [“To be a warrior a man has to be, first of all, and rightfully so, keenly aware of his own death. But to be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carlos-castaneda/to-be-a-warrior-a-man-has-to-be-first-of-all-and-rightfully-so-keenly/) [Carlos Castaneda](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carlos-castaneda/) > [In a last violent protest against the hopelessness of imminent death, I sensed my spirit piercing through the enveloping gloom. I felt it transcend…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/viktor-e-frankl/in-a-last-violent-protest-against-the-hopelessness-of-imminent-death/) [Viktor E. Frankl](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/viktor-e-frankl/) ## More by Sebastian Junger > [No matter how many people you kill, using a machine gun in battle is not a war crime because it does not cause unnecessary…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/no-matter-how-many-people-you-kill-using-a-machine-gun-in-battle-is/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [Right now, America doesn't ask us to do anything besides pay taxes. We don't even have to vote. But as psychologists will tell you,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/right-now-america-doesn-t-ask-us-to-do-anything-besides-pay-taxes-we/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“There are houses in Gloucester where grooves have been worn into the floorboards by women pacing past an upstairs window, looking out to sea.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/there-are-houses-in-gloucester-where-grooves-have-been-worn-into-the/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“Billy's at 44 north, 56 west and heading straight into meteorological hell.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/billy-s-at-44-north-56-west-and-heading-straight-into-meteorological/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [There is some evidence that average wave heights are slowly rising, and that freak waves of eighty or ninety feet are becoming more common.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/there-is-some-evidence-that-average-wave-heights-are-slowly-rising/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [If you get an infection, you get a fever; the fever is your body dealing with the infection. If you get traumatized, your mind…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/if-you-get-an-infection-you-get-a-fever-the-fever-is-your-body/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [People who do really dangerous tasks can't afford to sit around and discuss the merits of what they're doing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/people-who-do-really-dangerous-tasks-can-t-afford-to-sit-around-and/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [I would never want to pass a law limiting freedom of speech, but that doesn't mean we have to condone statements that undermine basic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-would-never-want-to-pass-a-law-limiting-freedom-of-speech-but-that/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [I think objectivity is like this strange myth that people think you're supposed to achieve, but actually, the dirty little secret is that it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-think-objectivity-is-like-this-strange-myth-that-people-think-you/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [Each Javelin round costs $80,000, and the idea that it's fired by a guy who doesn't make that in a year at a guy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/each-javelin-round-costs-80-000-and-the-idea-that-it-s-fired-by-a-guy/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“I look at the names on the mailboxes and the bells inside number 1940 and pick out a couple of women’s names and press…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/i-look-at-the-names-on-the-mailboxes-and-the-bells-inside-number-1940/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [It's fun to have money, but the more money I get, the less interesting it becomes. If you don't have very much, you have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/it-s-fun-to-have-money-but-the-more-money-i-get-the-less-interesting/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [“The United States is so powerful that the only country capable of destroying her might be the United States herself, which means that the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/the-united-states-is-so-powerful-that-the-only-country-capable-of/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [The most profound question is, "What would I risk dying for?" The natural answer is "for my family." But for most of history, we…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/the-most-profound-question-is-what-would-i-risk-dying-for-the-natural/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) > [When you're scared, you're still hanging on to life. When you're ready to die, you let it go. A sort of emptying out occurs,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sebastian-junger/when-you-re-scared-you-re-still-hanging-on-to-life-when-you-re-ready/) [Sebastian Junger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) [Explore all 107 Sebastian Junger quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sebastian-junger/) ## More Bridges quotes > [Poetry has, in a way, been my bridge to my acting career.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omari-hardwick/poetry-has-in-a-way-been-my-bridge-to-my-acting-career/) [Omari Hardwick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omari-hardwick/) > [Nothing teaches great writing like the very best books do. Yet, good teachers often help students cross that bridge, and I have to say…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/julia-glass/nothing-teaches-great-writing-like-the-very-best-books-do-yet-good/) [Julia Glass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/julia-glass/) > [In my rear view mirror the sun is going down sinking behind bridges in the road and I think of all the good things…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-waters/in-my-rear-view-mirror-the-sun-is-going-down-sinking-behind-bridges/) [Roger Waters](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-waters/) > [My first big mistake was made when, in a moment of weakness, I consented to learn the game; for a man who can frankly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-benchley/my-first-big-mistake-was-made-when-in-a-moment-of-weakness-i/) [Robert Benchley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-benchley/) > [The WPA was one of the most productive elements of FDR's alphabet soup of agencies because it put people to work building roads, bridges,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/the-wpa-was-one-of-the-most-productive-elements-of-fdr-s-alphabet/) [Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/) > [The sense that in this universe we are treated as strangers, the longing to be acknowledged, to meet with some response, to bridge some…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-sense-that-in-this-universe-we-are-treated-as-strangers-the/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [When you walk, try to think nothing! You can then obtain the silence of a streetlight or a bridge; stop thinking; after that, you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/when-you-walk-try-to-think-nothing-you-can-then-obtain-the-silence-of/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [By the time they were pulling into the parking lot of the A&P, the mood was fading, the moment gone. Amy could feel it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-strout/by-the-time-they-were-pulling-into-the-parking-lot-of-the-a-p-the/) [Elizabeth Strout](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-strout/) > [Al Pacino and Jeff Bridges do it for me in a big way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/angela-scanlon/al-pacino-and-jeff-bridges-do-it-for-me-in-a-big-way/) [Angela Scanlon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/angela-scanlon/) > [Instead of building castles against your enemies, build bridges for them to come to you!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/instead-of-building-castles-against-your-enemies-build-bridges-for/) [Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [Instead of finding himself in nerd heaven—where every nerd gets fifty-eight virgins to role-play with—he woke up in Robert Wood Johnson with two broken…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/junot-diaz/instead-of-finding-himself-in-nerd-heaven-where-every-nerd-gets-fifty/) [Junot Diaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/junot-diaz/) > [Each person is an island unto himself, in a very real sense; and he can only build bridges to other islands if he is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/carl-rogers/each-person-is-an-island-unto-himself-in-a-very-real-sense-and-he-can/) [Carl Rogers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/carl-rogers/) > [The real test of a bridge player isn’t in keeping out of trouble, but in escaping once he’s in.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-sheinwold/the-real-test-of-a-bridge-player-isn-t-in-keeping-out-of-trouble-but/) [Alfred Sheinwold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-sheinwold/) > [The law ... allows rich as well as poor to sleep under bridges.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anatole-france/the-law-allows-rich-as-well-as-poor-to-sleep-under-bridges/) [Anatole France](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anatole-france/) > [Guys like Todd Bridges never overcame being a child star. You can't have any big failures. I've always felt regular. I played organized ball…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bow-wow/guys-like-todd-bridges-never-overcame-being-a-child-star-you-can-t/) [Bow Wow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bow-wow/) [Browse all 1,521 Bridges quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bridges/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I don't think people would climb mountains or jump off bridges with parachutes or kayak Class V rapids if those things didn't offer the brief and horrible illusion of imminent death. 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