“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.”
"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
"...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
"You don't have to be alone to feel alone."
- Roland Smith
Connection to Earth
"For a climber, saying that you are stopping by Everest is like saying that you are stopping by to see God."
- Roland Smith
Ambition
"The expert in anything was once a beginner."
- Helen Hayes
Learning
"Learn as if you will live forever, live like you will die tomorrow."
- Mahatma Gandhi
Learning
"To know how much there is to know is the beginning of learning to live."
- Dorothy West
Learning
"In the beginner’s mind, there are many possibilities; in the expert’s mind, there are few."
- Vince Gironda
Learning
"I am always doing what I cannot do yet in order to learn how to do it."
- Vincent van Gogh
Learning