"A partner can encourage you, maybe even stop you from falling, but they can't get you to the top. That's entirely up to you."
- Roland Smith
Courage
"The only thing you'll find on the summit of Mount Everest is a divine view. The things that really matter lie far below."
- Roland Smith
Success
"For a climber, saying that you are stopping by Everest is like saying that you are stopping by to see God."
- Roland Smith
Ambition
"When you do your research write down whatever interests you. Whatever stimulates your imagination. Whatever seems important. A story is built like a stone wall. Not all the stones will fit. Some will have to be discarded. Some broken and reshaped. When you finish the wall it may not look exactly like the wall you envisioned, but it will keep the livestock in and the predators out."
- Roland Smith
Learning
"You don't have to be alone to feel alone."
- Roland Smith
Connection to Earth
"...what makes a story unique is not necessarily the information in the story but what the writer chooses to put in or leave out."
- Roland Smith
Creativity
"When my father died we did not have the funds to keep all three of us in school. The tuition is very expensive. My sisters are still in school and I am here to find work so they can stay there. Without a formal education there is no future for girls in Kathmandu. I would like to go back to school myself, but it is unlikely I will be able to. It is more important that my sisters attend school than it is for me."
- Sun-jo
Education