Fear

"Fear doesn't exist anywhere except in the mind." — Dale Carnegie.

"If it weren't for egos, some of the greatest accomplishements of climbing would never have happened." — Michael Kennedy.

"I've always wondered where the Old Timers bought their pants, with their cantaloupe-sized balls and all." — Stephen Prouty.

"If by protected you mean that it's 10-15 feet above that alien, then yes, yes it is protected." — Greg Kneser.

"Although one is not inclined to be timid or nervous, it is nevertheless a trifle depressing to receive letters full of expostulation and entreaty: 'If you are determined to commit suicide, why not come home and do so in a quiet lady-like manner ?'" — Annie Smith Peck (1896).

"Mountain climbing is extended periods of intense boredom, interrupted by occasional moments of sheer terror."

"He who remains calm while those around him panics probably doesn't know what is going on."

"Profanity is about the best pro you'll get until the crack starts to narrow. Include doubles of profanity in the #6 to #8 range on your rack for this lead." — Bruce Bindner.

"In 1961 I led this chimney in a state of metabolic uproar. At the base of the pitch I smoked several cigarettes (the first and last ones of my life). This was to calm me. Then I spooned half a jar of honey. This was to ensure superhuman strength. Mort Hempel, my partner, watched this silly ritual with mouth agape and eyes exploding with fear." — Steve Roper about the 3rd pitch of the Worst Error.

"Then came a bigger fear. Not the threat of imminent injury, but the fear that if I didn't go back up, I would be a chickenshit forever." — John Sherman, Tales from the gripped.

"If you think climbers fear thunderstorms, try canyoneers." — Guido.

"Big alpine routes aren't exactly safe... You need to have your feelers out, and you need to be willing to back off in things aren't quite right. At the same time, you have to push through your doubts and fears." — Michael Kennedy.

"We commenced plugging up in foot deep steps with a thin wind crust on top and precious little belay for the ice-axe. It was altogether most unsatisfactory and whenever I felt feelings of fear regarding it I'd say to myself: 'Forget it! This is Everest and you've got to take a few risks.'" — Edmund Hillary.

"Only those who lack it use the adjective 'excess' in front of testosterone." — Dan Goodman.

"When penalty slack is greater than the distance to the ground, the FF becomes irrelevant." — Brent Ware.

"He gets a free ride after 10 rescues..." — A chopper pilot about Laurent Smagghe, who had the speed record of Mt Blanc but also the record of being rescued most times.

"I think that the best thing to get your head in shape for leading is leading, and the more the better; that's why the first lead in the spring usually seems pretty scary. At times I've climbed with partners who for one reason or another weren't doing any leading, and I found that my leading really improved if every time I was on a rope, I was on the sharp end. Conversely, I find that too much top-roping seems to put me out of synch and makes it harder to lead — you start missing the security of having that rope above you." — Tom Dunwiddie

"Some folks aren't ready to create their own adventures. Putting them in a real adventure would be like letting your prize chihuahua go play with the coyote pack at sunrise." — Brutus of Wyde.

"Don't Bolt — Be Bold" — Slogan on a T-shirt I made.

"When in doubt — Run it out" — Slogan on a T-shirt I made.

"Most sports require only one ball." — Seen on a T-shirt with a picture of a climber.

"There is nothing to fear except fear itself." — F.D. Roosevelt.

"There are old climbers, there are bold climbers, but there are no old bold climbers !"

"Anything I've ever done that ultimately was worthwhile initially scared me to death."

"Learn to jam, learn to bleed, learn when to turn over the lead !" — Rex Pieper.

"He who seeks fear shall be followed by fear." — Ancient scottish proverb.

"I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear. I will permit it to pass over me and through me. And when it has gone past, I will turn the inner eye to see it's path. Where the fear has gone there will be nothing. Only I will remain." — The Bene Gesserit Litany of Fear, from Frank Herbert's Dune.

"They say miracles are past; and we have our philosophical persons, to make modern and familiar, things supernatural and causeless. Hence is it that we make trifles of terrors, ensconcing ourselves into seeming knowledge, when we should submit ourselves to an unknown fear." — William Shakespeare, All's Well that Ends Well, Act II Scene III.