Despite all I have seen and experienced, I still get the same simple thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow in a high mountain gully and feel the same urge to climb towards it.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a deep appreciation for nature's beauty and the enduring desire for exploration.
Edmund Hillary reflects on his experiences and accomplishments, emphasizing that no matter how much he has seen in life, the simple beauty of nature still captivates him. The thrill he derives from spotting a patch of snow in a mountain gully illustrates the idea that some of life's simplest pleasures, like exploring the wilderness, can evoke strong emotions and a sense of adventure that remains unchanged over time.
In practice
During a speech about the importance of preserving natural landscapes.
I think I mainly climb mountains because I get a great deal of enjoyment out of it. I never attempt to analyze these things too thoroughly, but I think that all mountaineers do get a great deal of satisfaction out of overcoming some challenge which they think is very difficult for them, or which perhaps may be a little dangerous.
Despite all I have seen and experiences, I still get the same thrill out of glimpsing a tiny patch of snow in a high mountain gully and feel the same urge to climb toward it.
I've always hated the danger part of climbing, and it's great to come down again because it's safe.
Even when you're 50, you can make the effort to improve your standards.
Many people have been getting too casual about climbing Everest. I forecast a disaster many times.
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.
Every cent we earn from Crocodile Hunter goes straight back into conservation. Every single cent.
What humans do over the next 50 years will determine the fate of all life on the planet.
Recognizing that sustainable development, democracy and peace are indivisible is an idea whose time has come... Today we are faced with a challenge that calls for a shift in our thinking, so that humanity stops threatening its life-support system. We are called to assist the Earth to heal her wounds and in the process heal our own - indeed, to embrace the whole of creation in all its diversity, beauty and wonder.
It is the same life that emerges in joy through the dust of the earth into numberless waves of flower.
The crooked little tomato branches, pulpy and pale as if made of cheap green paper, broke under the weight of so much fruit; there was something frantic in such fertility, a crying-out like that of children frantic to please.
Over and over, the economy has determined the extent of our response, but how much value does it place on breathable air, drinkable water, edible food and stable weather and climate? Surely the economy is the means to a better future, not an end in itself. Surely it must be subordinate to a rich, diverse ecosphere that sustains all life.
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