How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
Fischer made a number of impressive ascents that earned him a modicum of local renown, but celebrity in the world of the climbing community eluded him. (5.39)
Scott Fischer has got to be one of the most ambitious dudes on the planet. The guy isn't content with being just another climber in the pack—he wants to be the leader of that pack. Though this ambition serves him well for the bulk of his career, it ends up hindering him during the events of Into Thin Air.
Quote #2
I accepted the assignment because I was in the grip of the Everest mystique. In truth, I wanted to climb the mountain as badly as I'd ever wanted anything in my life. (6.45)
Jon Krakauer is ambitious, too, he's just better at hiding it. The dude has been obsessed with Everest since he was a little kid, so he's not going to let an opportunity like this pass him by. That would be like telling super-nerds like us that we could be Avengers for a day. Sigh. We can dream can't we?
Quote #3
When it came time for each of us to asses our own abilities […] it sometimes seemed as though half the population at Base Camp was clinically delusional. (7.6)
Sometimes ambition isn't a good thing, however. Most of the climbers on Everest have oodles more ambition than technical climbing skills, which may end up biting them in the butt in the end. After all, how much is that ambition going to be worth when things start going wrong?