Ranulph Fiennes QUOTES

1 " It is a truism to say that the dog is largely what his master makes of him: he can be savage and dangerous, untrustworthy, cringing and fearful; or he can be faithful and loyal, courageous and the best of companions and allies. "

― Ranulph Fiennes

2 " Fifteen miles above us, as was first discovered by the British Antarctic Survey nine years before, a hole in the ozone layer opened up at this time of the year (at its worst in November) and allowed dangerous levels of ultraviolet rays to descend unfiltered to Antarctica and southerly lands like Australasia and Patagonia.

Every year the hole grows bigger and more animals, including humans, suffer the resulting cancers, blindness and weakened immune systems. In Australia and New Zealand malignant melanomas have taken over from other cancers and heart disease as man's chief killers. In Patagonia, where sheep outnumber humans, whole flocks are going blind. "

― Ranulph Fiennes , Mind Over Matter: The Epic Crossing of the Antarctic Continent

3 " There is no bad weather, only inappropriate clothing. "

― Ranulph Fiennes

4 " People should be treated the same and, if black or brown, they should neither be penalized nor rewarded. Positive discrimination is counterproductive. "

― Ranulph Fiennes , The Feather Men

5 " a committee is a group of people who individually can do nothing, but as a group decide nothing can be done. "

― Ranulph Fiennes , Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography

6 " The answer was obvious. The useless finger ends must be cut off at once, so they could no longer get in the way and hit things. I tried tentatively to cut through the smallest finger with a new pair of secateurs, but it hurt. So I purchased a set of fretsaw blades at the village shop, put the little finger in my Black & Decker folding table’s vice and gently sawed through the dead skin and bone just above the live skin line. The moment I felt pain or spotted blood, I moved the saw further into the dead zone. I also turned the finger around several times to cut it from different sides, like sawing a log. This worked well and the little finger’s end knuckle finally dropped off after some two hours of work. Over that week I removed the other three longer fingers, one each day, and finally the thumb, which took two days. "

― Ranulph Fiennes , Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography

7 " I did not intend to blow up anything in particular but fancied the notion that I had the capacity to do so, given "

― Ranulph Fiennes , Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography

8 " But, by the end of four dark days, we had logged eleven northerly miles. This would not sound very impressive except to someone who has also pulled a load in excess of his own bodyweight over pressure rubble in the dark and at a temperature of –40°C. "

― Ranulph Fiennes , Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography

9 " Some men spend a lifetime in an attempt to comprehend the complexities of women. Others preoccupy themselves with simpler tasks such as understanding the theory of relativity. "

― Ranulph Fiennes , Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography

10 " Some men spend a lifetime in an attempt to comprehend the complexities of women. Others preoccupy themselves with simpler tasks such as understanding the theory of relativity.’ All "

― Ranulph Fiennes , Mad, Bad & Dangerous to Know: The Autobiography

11 " I have read all the pertinent literature and correspondence about Scott and his men but, unlike his previous biographers, I have shared Scott’s experiences over many years and so can the better comment on his decisions and his behaviour, bringing a sympathy for and practical understanding of the severe problems Scott actually faced "

― Ranulph Fiennes , The Ranulph Fiennes Collection