Sir Edmund Hillary reached the summit of Mount Everest with Tenzing Norgay on 29 May 1953, and the lines that circulate under his name are a mix of the authentic, the approximate, and the entirely invented. This page collects 27 Edmund Hillary quotes: eight lines traced to him and labeled by source status, the famous summit remark with the story that belongs to it, and a set of original lines written in his spirit and clearly marked as ours.
If you are captioning a summit photo, writing a school essay about perseverance, or putting a few words together for Everest Day on 29 May, the label beside each quote tells you how to use it without embarrassment.
Hillary (1919–2008) was a New Zealand mountaineer and beekeeper who climbed Everest as part of the British Everest Expedition led by John Hunt. He later crossed Antarctica on the Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition and reached the South Pole, and he spent the last half of his life raising money for schools, hospitals, and bridges in the Khumbu region of Nepal through the Himalayan Trust. What he said about that work is quieter than the summit line, and for many readers it is more useful.
How the labels work. Reported means the line is quoted in reputable accounts of Hillary's life and interviews, though this page does not cite a single named page or recording for it. Widely attributed, unverified means the line is everywhere under his name and no confirmed source has been traced. Not his words appears only in the misattribution section, where we name the person who actually said it. We would rather drop a line than mislabel it.
Quick Picks: The Edmund Hillary Quotes Most People Come For
The eight quotations below are the ones readers ask about most. Each is expanded further down the page with context and a note on when to use it.
| Quote (short form) | Theme | Source status |
|---|---|---|
| "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." | Self-conquest | Widely attributed, unverified |
| "People do not decide to become extraordinary…" | Ambition | Widely attributed, unverified |
| "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off." | The summit | Reported |
| "Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons…" | Why we climb | Reported |
| "I think it all comes down to motivation." | Motivation | Reported |
| "You don't have to be a fantastic hero…" | Ordinary grit | Reported |
| "The only way to achieve anything is to work hard." | Persistence | Reported |
| "I epitomise the average New Zealander." | Modesty | Reported |
Edmund Hillary Quotes About Mountains, the Summit, and Why We Climb
These suit hiking and trekking captions, Everest Base Camp posts, and essays about why people take on difficult things. Hillary's voice in this group is dry and understated, so the lines work better without inspiration layered on top. If you want a contrasting climbing voice, our collection of Alex Honnold quotes comes at risk and fear from a very different direction.
1. "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves." - Edmund Hillary (widely attributed, unverified)
Context: This is the most quoted line in the set and the one with the thinnest paper trail. No confirmed book, interview, or recording has been traced to it, so "attributed to Edmund Hillary" is the honest way to introduce it in writing.
2. "People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things." - Edmund Hillary (widely attributed, unverified)
Context: The line appears far more often on motivational sites and slide decks than in anything traceable to Hillary. It is a good thought; it is simply not documented as his, so avoid presenting it as a direct quotation.
The 1953 Summit Remark and What It Meant
3. "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off." - Edmund Hillary (reported)
Context: Hillary is reported to have said this to his friend and fellow climber George Lowe on returning down the mountain after the ascent on 29 May 1953. The remark is informal and mildly profane, which is part of why it has lasted: it is the sound of exhaustion and relief rather than triumph. You will also see it rendered as "we knocked the bugger off," a gentler version that circulates in print. Quote it in full with its setting attached, and if the context is a school or workplace setting, use a clearly labeled paraphrase rather than the line itself.
4. "Nobody climbs mountains for scientific reasons. Science is used to raise money for the expeditions, but you really climb for the hell of it." - Edmund Hillary (reported)
Context: A blunt answer to a question he was asked for decades. Hillary was practical about sponsorship and unsentimental about motive, and the line is useful in an essay that wants to argue against purely noble explanations for adventure.
Edmund Hillary Quotes About Motivation, Hard Work, and the Ordinary Chap
This is the section for school essays on perseverance, coaching notes, and captions for personal milestones. Hillary sounds least like a hero here and most like a determined person, which is exactly why readers reach for these lines.
5. "I think it all comes down to motivation. If you really want to do something, you will work hard for it." - Edmund Hillary (reported)
Context: A plain statement of his working philosophy. It fits a talk about effort and fits a caption about a goal you finally finished.
6. "You don't have to be a fantastic hero to do certain things - to compete. You can be just an ordinary chap, sufficiently motivated." - Edmund Hillary (reported)
Context: The most usable line on this page for a classroom, a team meeting, or a speech. "Ordinary chap" was Hillary's own description of himself, not a phrase written about him by someone else.
7. "I have discovered that the only way to achieve anything is to work hard and not to be too discouraged by failures." - Edmund Hillary (reported)
Context: The most honest line in the group, because it names failure directly instead of skipping past it. Good for an essay that needs to acknowledge setbacks.
8. "In some ways I believe I epitomise the average New Zealander: I have modest abilities, I combine these with a good deal of determination, and I rather like to succeed." - Edmund Hillary (reported)
Context: Self-deprecating and specific to New Zealand. It suits a tribute post, a piece about national identity, or any message where you want modesty rather than bravado.
Original Lines Inspired by His Example: Courage and Teamwork
The nineteen lines from here to item 27 are WishesVerse originals, written in response to Hillary's example. They are not his words and should never be quoted as his. Use them when you want the sentiment without risking a misattribution, or when you need a caption that does not depend on a quotation at all.
Courage and Persistence
9. The summit is not proof of courage; the step you take when the air is thin is.
10. A hard climb teaches you to respect the mountain, not to boast about standing on it.
11. Persistence is often quiet: ropes checked again, boots dried by the stove, one more morning of cold.
12. You do not need to feel fearless to begin. You need to keep moving while fear walks beside you.
13. The route that changes you is rarely the easiest one to explain afterward.
Lines 9 and 12 work well as short captions. Line 11 is better in a longer post, where the detail has room to land. For more on this theme, see our Abby Wambach quotes, which come at resilience from the team-sport side.
Teamwork and Humility
14. No one reaches the top alone; someone below you is holding the rope, and someone back at camp is keeping the kettle warm.
15. The strongest climber in the tent is often the one who listens.
16. Humility is what you bring back down the mountain.
17. A shared summit is remembered longer than a solo story.
18. Good teamwork sounds less like a speech and more like someone saying, "I've got you."
Line 16 is the most quotable line in this set and the best candidate for a quote card or a square social post. Line 18 suits a message to a colleague or a team note at the end of a hard project.
Original Lines Inspired by His Example: Adventure and Legacy
These are ours as well, and the same label applies: not his words. They fit trekking posts, retirement and tribute messages, and long-form captions where you want the feeling of a quotation without borrowing someone's name.
Adventure and the Unknown
19. Adventure begins when the map ends and you decide to keep walking.
20. The unknown is not an empty space; it is an invitation to pay attention.
21. Some journeys are worth taking before you know how to describe them.
22. Risk is not the same as recklessness; the difference is preparation, respect, and a way home.
23. The best stories are not always the ones with the highest altitude, but the ones where you came back changed.
Line 22 is the one to use if your audience is planning a real trek and you want encouragement that does not glamorize danger. For a historical adventurer's voice alongside these, our Amelia Earhart quotes cover similar ground about risk and first attempts.
Legacy and Purpose
24. A life of purpose often looks ordinary from the outside: small preparations, repeated faithfully.
25. What you build after the summit may matter more than the summit itself.
26. Leave the mountain better than you found it, and leave the people who helped you better too.
27. The truest legacy is not a record on a page; it is the courage you help someone else find.
Lines 25 and 26 pair naturally with the Himalayan Trust material: schools, hospitals, and bridges in the Khumbu built over decades. Line 27 is the strongest closing line in the collection and works well as the final slide of a talk.
Lines Commonly Attributed to Edmund Hillary That He Did Not Say
Most quote pages skip this part. The lines below are posted under Hillary's name regularly, and none of them is his.
"If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way." - usually credited to Napoleon Hill, not Hillary. The confusion appears to start with the shared surname.
"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing at all." - Helen Keller, not Hillary. It turns up on climbing quote lists because of the word "adventure."
"Mountains are not stadiums where I satisfy my ambition to achieve, they are the cathedrals where I practice my religion." - usually credited to the mountaineer Anatoli Boukreev, not Hillary.
"The best view comes after the hardest climb." - an anonymous internet line with no source in Hillary's books or interviews. It is not necessarily false, but nobody can show he said it.
Our attribution policy. A line appears in the quotation section of this page only if it can be tied to Hillary with some reasonable confidence, and every line carries a status label. Where a source is thin, we say so rather than dressing the quote in a fake book title or interview date.
How to Use These Quotes
For a hiking or summit caption. Items 6, 9, 12, and 16 work at caption length without trimming. The summit remark in item 3 needs its story even in short form, or it reads as swagger rather than relief.
For a school essay or speech. Items 5, 6, and 7 fit perseverance and heroism themes. Introduce a quotation with a sentence that sets up the point, then let the quote finish it. One honest pattern: Hillary later reflected on the role of motivation, saying that if you really want to do something, you will work hard for it. If your source is "reported" rather than a named book, say "reported" or "attributed to" in your citation and your teacher will know you checked.
For a motivational talk or slide. Item 6 lands better in a room than item 1, because "ordinary chap" gives an audience somewhere to stand. Keep slides to one line each and put the attribution underneath in a smaller size.
For a tribute or anniversary post. Use item 25 or 27 with the Himalayan Trust work rather than the summit. It is the part of his life he said mattered most, and it makes for a warmer post than another Everest photograph.
For an occasion. Everest Day falls on 29 May, the anniversary of the 1953 ascent. Hillary was born on 20 July 1919 and died on 11 January 2008. Those three dates are the natural moments to share a line.
Frequently Asked Questions
Did Edmund Hillary say "It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves"?
The line is widely attributed to him, but no confirmed book, interview, or recording has been traced. Use "attributed to Edmund Hillary" phrasing rather than stating it as a direct quotation, especially in anything published or graded.
What did Edmund Hillary say after reaching the summit of Everest?
He is reported to have greeted George Lowe on the way down with "Well, George, we knocked the bastard off." The remark was made on 29 May 1953, after the ascent with Tenzing Norgay, and it is informal and mildly profane. Quote it with its setting attached.
Who was with Edmund Hillary on the summit in 1953?
Tenzing Norgay reached the summit with Hillary on 29 May 1953, as part of the British Everest Expedition led by John Hunt. The two men climbed as a rope team, and both names belong in any account of the ascent.
Why did Hillary say people climb mountains?
His blunt answer was that nobody climbs for scientific reasons, and that science is used to raise money for expeditions while people climb "for the hell of it." It reflects his practical view of sponsorship and his impatience with noble-sounding explanations.
Are the "inspired by" lines on this page his words?
No. Items 9 to 27 are original WishesVerse lines written in response to his example, and they are labeled as such. They exist so readers can use the sentiment without risking a misattribution.
How do I cite an Edmund Hillary quote in an essay?
For a reported quote, name Hillary, give the quotation, and note that it is reported or attributed if you cannot point to a specific book. For a book source, cite the title, publisher, and year in your usual style. Never invent a page number to make an entry look stronger.
Choosing the Line That Fits
Pick one line and make it yours rather than collecting a dozen. If you are standing on something you worked hard to reach, item 16 is the one people tend to screenshot. If you are writing to someone who is still at the bottom of their climb, item 6 or item 12 will do more good than anything about summits. And if you are preparing something for 29 May, item 25 with the Himalayan Trust story behind it is the version of Hillary most worth passing on. Save the line you choose, add a sentence of your own to it, and it stops being a quotation and starts being a message.
