First, I am afraid to die and I love to live. But an adventure is only an adventure when there is the threat of dying.
Interpretation
This quote expresses the tension between the fear of death and the joy of living, suggesting that true adventures are defined by risk.
Reinhold Messner, an accomplished mountaineer, captures the complex interplay between life and death in this quote. He acknowledges a deep fear of mortality, which contrasts sharply with his passion for living life to the fullest. By stating that 'an adventure is only an adventure when there is the threat of dying,' Messner implies that the greatest experiences often come with inherent risks, thrilling us and pushing us to confront our fears. Ultimately, this reflection emphasizes that embracing life includes accepting the uncertainties that accompany it.
In practice
In a motivational speech about chasing dreams, one might say, 'Remember, true adventure comes with risks, as Reinhold Messner beautifully stated.'
I became famous for the fact that I would break many, many limits. People said, 'He does all these crazy things.' But oddly it was a crazy thing only because scientists and climbers said, 'Everest and the 8,000-meter peaks without oxygen - impossible. Messner is becoming sick in his head.'
A 30-year-old rock climber is an old man. At 40, one is in the middle of his high-altitude power. At 50, a crosser of deserts is at his best age. But at 60, each of us is out of the game.
I think my cultural work is more important than the adventures I did. The adventures are not important for human beings. It's the conquering of the useless.
In mountaineering, there is not only the activity, but the philosophy behind it. Some say a moral, but I am against that because all morality is dangerous.
I was the first man to climb the world's 14 tallest peaks without supplementary oxygen, but I never asked how high I would go, just how I would do it.
In my state of spiritual abstraction, I no longer belong to myself and to my eyesight. I am nothing more than a single narrow gasping lung, floating over the mists and summits.
Although prepared for martyrdom, I preferred that it be postponed.
When an opponent comes forward, move in and greet him; if he wants to pull back, send him on his way.
The presence of evil was something to be first recognized, then dealt with, survived, outwitted, triumphed over.
When I hear stories about the number of kids that have been lost to violence, where families grow up teaching kids 'duck and cover' long before they learn their ABC's or their colors, I know there is something profoundly wrong in our city.
Surely the best way to meet the enemy is head on in the field and not wait till they plunder our very homes.
The number one taboo for boys is to be feminine, so for someone to not only override their internal directive but society's directive is mind-boggling and heroic. It's courageous.
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