“Explorers like to pretend that they are a select breed of people with iron nerve and an ability to endure terrible hardship.”

“Usually, there is nothing more pleasing that returning to a place where you have endured hardship.”

“The ability to tell a good route from a terrible one is a valuable skill when leading an expedition. Unfortunately for us all, it was a skill I did not possess.”

“Exploration is a dirty game.”

“Because there is no challenge, there is no reason to work hard. And with no reason to work hard, we all have become lazy. Lazy people are like cancer. They spread. Before you know it, the entire country is destroyed.”

“As far as I was concerned, a little danger of head-shrinking is a small price to pay in return for a people who have remained true to an ancient code.”

“There's nothing like a pack of mules to give one a sense of entourage.”