We have changed our privacy policy. In addition, we use cookies on our website for various purposes. By continuing on our website, you consent to our use of cookies. You can learn about our practices by reading our privacy policy.

Perseverance Quotes in Three Cups of Tea

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)

Quote #1

[Mortenson] spent an hour scrambling up a slope of scree, hoping for a vantage point above the boulders and icebergs, a place where he might snare the landmark he was looking for, the great rocky promontory of Urdukas, which thrust out onto the Baltoro like a massive fist, and haul himself back toward the trail. (1.19)

Whoa. We're not sure what takes more perseverance: that daring rock climb, or writing that single gigantic sentence.

Quote #2

Anyone who has spent time or Mortenson's presence […] would recognize this night as one more example of Mortenson's steely-mindedness. (1.24)

Mortenson's determination at hiking is a nice transferable skill on his resume, one that shows his ability to sniff out and dig up donations from anyone, anywhere, all over the world.

Quote #3

For six hours […] they communicated only in grunts and whimpers, dragging their friend down a dangerous technical route through the icefall of the Savoia Glacier. (1.41)

As a climber, Mortenson has to be tenacious. It's a matter of life and death, literally, when they have to rescue one of their own.