‘Life is too short to waste time on second-class ambitions. Go for the big ones, even if that means a higher failure rate.’
Bold words, but no less than you would expect from the man described as the world’s greatest living explorer. There can’t be many deserts, oceans, jungles, poles, mountain ranges or marathons that Sir Ranulph Fiennes hasn’t tackled at some point in his lifetime. At the age of 62 he’s showing few signs of slowing down – not long ago he ran seven marathons in seven days, and has just returned from an attempt on Everest, thwarted only by a suspected heart problem, clearly heeding his own advice to ‘Know when to turn back and live to fight another day. Better to be a live donkey than a dead lion.’
His book, Beyond the Limits, is a bible for anybody wanting to achieve anything in life – be it in business or adventure to personal development. Truly inspiring stuff, yet down-to-earth and practical too. Recommended.