44 sayings for mountain lovers - famous, even unknown, but always inspiring

Hiking and mountaineering are balm for our body and soul. Anyone who loves the mountains knows this. Mountains give us unforgettable moments. After a mountain tour we come back with new experiences and impressions. With experiences that shape us and thoughts that stay forever.

Mountains make us mentally strong. We enjoy nature and its beauty. We are moving. And most importantly: we feel limitless freedom.

Discover well-known and unknown sayings for mountain lovers here - for more inspiration, motivation and happiness.

“There is freedom in the mountains.“ (Wanda Rutkiewicz, Polish mountaineer, 1942 – 1992)

 “Nowhere are happiness and despair as close together as in the high mountains”
(Gerhard Baur, German mountaineer, *1947)

“It is not the mountain we conquer - we conquer ourselves.“ (Edmund Hillary, mountaineer, 1919 – 2008)

“The journey is the destination.“ (Confucius, Chinese philosopher, probably 551 BC. BC – 479 B.C. BC)

“The difference between a mountain and a hill is your perspective.“ (Al Neuharth American businessman, author and columnist 1924 – 2013)

“A summit only belongs to you when you are back down - because before that you belong to it.“ (Hans Kammerlander, South Tyrolean extreme mountaineer, *1956)

Getting older is like climbing a mountain: the higher you go, the more difficult the path becomes, but the wider your view becomes. (Ingmar Bergmann, Swedish screenwriter, 1918-2007)

 “Mountaineering is more than sport. It's a passion.“ (Hermann Buhl, Austrian alpinist and pioneer of the alpine style, 1924-1957)

“I want to climb the mountains.“ (Heinrich Heine, German poet and writer, 1797 – 1856)

“Hiking is the most perfect form of transportation if you want to discover real life. It is the path to freedom.“ (Elizabeth von Arnim, English writer, 1866 – 1941)

“Alpinism is not a sport, not a competition, but a philosophy, a way of life.“ (Cesare Maestri, Italian mountaineer, 1929 - 2021)

“If you can't fly like an eagle, just climb uphill step by step; Anyone who struggles to reach the summit also has the world at their feet.“ (Victor Blüthgen, German poet and writer, 1844 – 1920)

“He who walks without leaving a trace goes well.“ (Laozi, Chinese philosopher, lived in the 6th century). century B.C. BC)

“Mountains are silent masters and make silent students.“ (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, 1749 – 1832)

“The mountains are not just a challenge for me. They are also a resting point. As soon as I'm out and about, my head clears. I go to a peak and when I come back down I'm a different person.“ (Peter Habeler, Austrian mountaineer, *1942)

“Man has two legs, but he can only go one way.“ (Proverb of the West African Fulani people)

“Hiking is the most perfect form of transportation if you want to discover real life. It is the path to freedom.“ (Elizabeth von Arnim, British writer, 1866 – 1941)

“Climb the mountains and feel the good energy. The peace in nature will flow into you like the sunshine that nourishes the trees. The wind will refresh you, the storm will fill you with strength and all your worries will fall away like autumn leaves.“ (John Muir, Scottish-American polymath, 1838 – 1914)

“The less a person depends on success, the less likely it is that he will fall.“ (Reinhold Messner, Italian mountaineer and author, *1944)

 “You have to weigh the risk of risking something in life against the risk of risking nothing.“ (unknown philosopher)

“All people will have the perception that on high mountains, where the air is pure and thin, one breathes more freely and feels physically lighter and spiritually cheerful.“ (Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Franco-Swiss writer and philosopher, 1712 – 1778)

“Even the longest march begins with the first step.“ (Laozi, Chinese philosopher, lived in the 6th century). century B.C. BC)

“You have only really been where you have been on foot.“ (Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, German poet, 1749 – 1832)

 “The mountain is calling!” (Luis Trenker, Italian mountaineer and actor, 1892 – 1990)

 “You cannot become a wanderer, you are born a wanderer.“ (Henry David Thoreau, American writer, 1817 – 1862)

“What is the best way to get up the mountain? Just climb up and don’t think about it!” (Friedrich Nietzsche, German philosopher and classical philologist, 1844 – 1900)

 “Never lose the rest of your childhood, the looseness. Then the mountains belong to you, otherwise you belong to them.“ (Hans Kammerlander, Italian mountaineer, *1956)

“You conquer the landscape with the soles of your shoes, not with your car tires.“ (Georges Duhamel, French writer, 1884 – 1966)

“The only summit discussions that really have any meaning are those of the alpinists.“ (Luis Trenker, Italian mountaineer and actor, 1892 – 1990)

“The brain is the most important muscle in climbing.“ (Wolfgang Güllich, German sport climber, 1960 – 1992)

“You can run as far as you want, you only see your own horizon everywhere.“ (Max von Eyth, German engineer and writer, 1836 – 1906)

“I can no longer hear expressions like 'I have conquered the mountain' or 'I have conquered the mountain'. This is Nazi language. […] in reality we are just tolerated complainers and swearers up there.“ (Reinhold Messner, Italian mountaineer and author, *1944)

 “Walking a lot makes you knowledgeable.“ (Otto Kimmig, German philologist and aphorist, 1858 – 1913)

“I'll be off then.“ (Hape Kerkeling, German comedian and author, *1964)

“The Dolomites are the most beautiful buildings in the world.“ (Reinhold Messner, Italian mountaineer and author, *1944)

“Mountain and mountain do not come together, but man and man do.“ (Iranian proverb)

“Hiking is an activity of the legs – and a state of the soul.“ (Josef Hofmiller, German writer and Nietzsche researcher, 1872 – 1933)

“It's probably one of the most beautiful things there is to hike through a country.“ (Erika Hubatschek, Austrian photographer and folklorist, 1917 – 2010)

“No matter how steep the mountain is, a little something is possible.“ (Austrian proverb)

 “Paths are created by walking them.“ (Franz Kafka, Czech writer, 1883 - 1924)

“I am of the opinion that everything would go better if we walked more.“ (Johann Gottfried Seume, German writer, 1763 – 1810)

“When there are mountains, I know that I can go up there to get a new perspective on life from above.“ (Hubert von Goisern, Austrian musician, *1952)

Nature is the best pharmacy. (Sebastian Kneipp, German priest, 1821 - 1897)

“Up here I feel free, I can leave all obligations behind me. I have a different attitude to life on the mountain than in the valley. Mountaineering is simply my life” (Gerlinde Kaltenbrunner, Austrian mountaineer, *1970)

We all live under the same sky, but we don't all have the same horizon. (Konrad Adenauer, former Federal Chancellor, 1876 - 1967)