I resolved to abandon trade and to fix my aim on something more praiseworthy and stable; whence it was that I made preparation for going to see part of the world and its wonders.
Interpretation
The quote expresses a desire to pursue worthwhile experiences instead of focusing solely on trade.
In this quote, Amerigo Vespucci shares his profound decision to move away from the mercantile pursuits that dominated his life towards exploration and discovering the wonders of the world. This shift reflects a longing for deeper fulfillment and the pursuit of knowledge that transcends mere economic gain, emphasizing the importance of adventure and curiosity in understanding life's broader beauty.
In practice
In a graduation speech, one might say this quote to inspire students to pursue their dreams.
Those new regions [America] which we found and explored with the fleet . . . we may rightly call a New World . . . a continent more densely peopled and abounding in animals than our Europe or Asia or Africa; and, in addition, a climate milder than in any other region known to us.
You have to remember this was the '60s, when climbing was dangerous and sex was safe.
As a rule, anything that is pretty you avoid when on an expedition in the polar extremes. Normally anything other than white means a hazard such as a crevasse.
The best climbers no longer go to the 8000ers, but to the most difficult mountains in the world which are 6000 or 7000-meter-peaks. There they find any kind of playground. But it is a pity that the really good climbers have fewer opportunities to finance their expeditions because so much attention is taken away by the Everest tourists.
Everest has always been a magnet for kooks, publicity seekers, hopeless romantics and others with a shaky hold on reality.
I wanted real adventures to happen to myself. But real adventures, I reflected, do not happen to people who remain at home: they must be sought abroad.
There are three elements of mountaineering - difficulty, danger, and exposure. Difficulty is the technical aspect of it. Danger, it is best to avoid, but some people like to increase danger to a point where their success is dependent only on luck. And exposure, which is what truly defines Alpinism, is what you face in wild nature.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.