Quotes from Jon Krakauer

Military investigations are designed not to find anyone guilty. And you can't investigate up the chain of command, which is a huge impediment.

The way to Everest is not a Yellow Brick Road.

It is easy, when you are young, to believe that what you desire is no less than what you deserve, to assume that if you want something badly enough, it is your God-given right to have it.

What makes climbing great for me, strangely enough, is this life-and-death aspect. It sounds trite to say, I know, but climbing isn't just another game. It isn't just another sport. It's life itself. Which is what makes it so compelling and also what makes it so impossible to justify when things go bad.

Everest is not real climbing. It's rich people climbing. It's a trophy on the wall, and they're done... When I say I wish I'd never gone, I really mean that.

If you don't take it, I'm going to throw it away," Alex cheerfully retorted. "I don't want to know what time it is. I don't want to know what day it is or where I am. None of that matters.

Rob Hall was, without doubt, the most competent guide in mountaineering.

I think part of the appeal of Antarctica is experiencing some sort of power, the forces of the natural world.

When I went to Everest, I underestimated things. I just didn't know what altitude could do. Or the cold - I especially didn't appreciate the cold. It can be just debilitating, and things can happen so quickly.

I guess I don't try to justify climbing or defend it, because I can't. I see climbing as a compulsion that, at its best, is no worse than many other compulsions - golf or stamp collecting or growing world-record pumpkins.

When I start any book, I have no idea what I'm going to do.

The way Everest is guided is very different from the way other mountains are guided, and it flies in the face of values I hold dear: self-reliance, taking responsibility for what you do, making your own decisions, trusting your judgment - the kind of judgment that comes only through paying your dues, through experience.

I knew that you couldn't make a living simply writing about the outdoors, so I made an effort from the beginning of my freelance career to write about other subjects.

The thing that is most beautiful about Antarctica for me is the light. It's like no other light on Earth, because the air is so free of impurities. You get drugged by it, like when you listen to one of your favorite songs. The light there is a mood-enhancing substance.

In climbing, having confidence in your partners is no small concern. One climber's actions can affect the welfare of the entire team.

Mr. Franz, I think careers are a 20th Century invention and I don't want one. You don't need to worry about me; I have a college education. I'm not destitute. I'm living like this by choice.

I never studied writing, but I'd always been a reader and had a secret fantasy about being a writer.