Sherpas Quotes

“It seems more than a little patronizing for Westerners to lament the loss of the good old days when life in the Khumbu was so much simpler and more picturesque. Most of the people who live in this rugged country seem to have no desire to be severed from the modern world or the untidy flow of human progress. The last thing Sherpas want is to be preserved as specimens in an anthropological museum.”
― Jon Krakauer, Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mt. Everest Disaster

“When it came to "getting away from it all," there really weren’t many places quite like the top of the tallest mountain in the world. He glanced around the summit, noting the other reason why he enjoyed coming up here. It was tradition for every expedition to the top of Everest to leave something behind—a small token or marker indicating their successful climb to the famous peak. Each one was different and each one seemed to reflect the personality of the party it represented: small flags and banners with the hand-written names of climbers past, a used oxygen canister, a spare glove, even a small metal lunchbox with (Clark noted with a small smile) a picture of Superman on the cover. To Clark, each of these markers indicated the pinnacle of human achievement, the fulfilled promise of the best the human race had to offer. And today, it represented something else as well: man’s ability to conquer the harsh reality of nature… a point in stark contrast to the previous night’s activities.

This set were Sherpa prayer flags, each displaying a symbol, not of a distant god or mythological beast, but denoting some aspect of the enlightened human mind: compassion, perfect action, fearlessness. His thoughts turned to another example of the peak of human achievement, of what one man with drive, desire and dedication could accomplish without the benefit of superpowers or metagene enhancement. One that held a much more personal meaning to Clark.

Bruce.”
― Chris Dee, World's Finest: Red Cape, Big City

“He wasn't a great man, but he had a great life.”
― Jeffrey Rasley, Light in the Mountains -- A Hoosier Quaker Finds Communal Enlightenment in Nepal

“Success doesn’t just happen;
it doesn’t pot out on its own.
Success is all about
the choices you make.
It’s a balancing act between
what to choose and what not to.”
― Bhuwan Thapaliya, Our Nepal, Our Pride

“The real hero of the Himalayas are not the mountaineers but the Sherpas!”
― Mehmet Murat ildan

“A dim sun shines faintly through the clouds. I gaze up at the mountain I must climb, then lower my eyes to look at my trembling legs. My legs are fragile but my spirit remains undaunted. Step by step, I will traverse upward. I will be there.”
― Bhuwan Thapaliya, Our Nepal, Our Pride