Jeff Smoot > Quotes

“Climbing, it turns out, is a nearly perfect vehicle for flow, which may be one of the reasons it has become so popular. For the climber, the goal may be to successfully climb a difficult rock pitch without falling. It is a meaningful, challenging goal that requires skill and focused attention because you will fall off if you fail to hang on. It provides immediate feedback. For the free-solo climber, who chooses to climb the pitch without a rope or protection, the goal is even more meaningful and challenging and requires even more intense focus. The feedback is also starkly clear and immediate—you don’t just fall if you fail to hang on; you probably die.”
― Jeff Smoot, All and Nothing: Inside Free Soloing

“If you’re ever going to do anything that’s important to you, do it now. This is the only time you have to do everything you ever wanted to do. Don’t save anything for the future. The future is now.”
― Jeff Smoot, Hangdog Days: Conflict, Change, and the Race for 5.14