Jimmy Chin Top 35 Quotes

Jimmy Chin is the most well-known American professional climber, photographer, and film director to have received an Academy Award nomination. On the athletic front, he has arranged numerous climbing, ski-mountaineering, and exploring adventures to Nepal, Pakistan, Greenland, China, Chad, and South Africa, among many others.

In addition, he climbed and skied Mount Everest, Nepal’s highest peak. Aside from athletes, he has made films such as Meru and Free Solo, which were nominated for an Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature at the 91st Academy Awards. He has also appeared in magazines such as National Geographic, Men’s Journal, and Outside.

He was fantastic, as were his quotes. You can find his best 52 quotations that will help you in some way below.

1. “I truly believe the intention of creating positive change is so important to the collective consciousness. When you have a group of people that have the intention and the capacity, talent, and intelligence to actualize those intentions, then you have something really powerful.”― Jimmy Chin

2. “Mountains are like the great equalizer. It doesn’t matter who anyone is or what they do.”― Jimmy Chin

3. “I feel like I’m doing what I love. If I can get out, shoot, film and climb, and be with my friends and family, I’m happy. It doesn’t take a lot. I don’t need to climb huge mountains. I have a deep connection with wilderness and the environment, and I’m thankful for that.”― Jimmy Chin

4. “If you want to train for big mountain endeavors, spend time in big mountains.”― Jimmy Chin

5. “I lose anywhere up to 20 pounds on location with adventurers like Conrad Anker or Brady Robinson. So I need to replace that lost weight and muscle by training hard when I am back in the States between jobs. And as I get older, it is far more important for me to be doing this and taking my conditioning seriously.”― Jimmy Chin

6. “So many diseases and illnesses have fundamental roots in the lack of clean water. Resolving the clean water crisis would mitigate a lot of problems.”― Jimmy Chin

7. “The best alpinists are the ones with the worst memories.”― Jimmy Chin

8. “A lot of why I climb is for the friendship, the loyalty, and trust, the shared experience of being in that moment.”― Jimmy Chin

9. “I REALLY BELIEVE THAT, AS HUMAN BEINGS, WE HAVE AN INNATE NEED TO EXPLORE, TO SEE WHAT’S AROUND THE CORNER.”― JIMMY CHIN  

10. “I used to always judge other people’s mistakes in the mountains. I think a bit differently now. Everybody’s gotten away with a mistake or poor decision out there at one point or another, but sometimes it catches up to you, or sometimes you’re just plain unlucky.”― Jimmy Chin

11. “The two great risks are risking too much but also risking too little. That’s for each person to decide. For me, not risking anything is worse than death. By far.”― Jimmy Chin

12. “When I show up in New York, and I look at the skyline, it’s like showing up in a mountain range. My gaze goes toward the most impressive-looking climb. It’s always gone to the top of the World Trade Center.”― Jimmy Chin

13. “Mentorship is an incredibly huge responsibility. And you need to choose your mentors carefully, just like mentors choose their apprentices carefully. There has to be trust there, on a very deep level.”― Jimmy Chin

14. “You learn over years of expeditions that having faith, and putting one foot in front of the other, you do end up pulling off climbs that seem completely impossible. There’s a certain beauty to that. It has an allure.”― Jimmy Chin

15. “My favorite off-mountain workout is the long run. It’s great for building endurance and strength.”― Jimmy Chin

16. “I like to think that images of people doing amazing things may open people’s eyes to the human potential, to the idea that people can do the extraordinary when they set their minds to it.”― Jimmy Chin

17. I loved going to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial in Taipei to watch all the old Chinese people doing tai chi and practicing kung fu. The monument was made of white marble, and it was beautiful. Sometimes my dad and I would practice with them.”― Jimmy Chin

18. “Taoism taught me to focus on the process and not to be attached to preconceived ideas of what I thought the outcome should be.”― Jimmy Chin

19. “Becoming a parent has changed the risk calculus for me. But it might be age, too, and seeing a lot of friends die in the mountains. Will I take the same risks I took in my 20s? Probably not, but I will always push myself in the mountains.”― Jimmy Chin

20. “It’s hard to take people seriously who say you’re totally irresponsible if you go out and climb mountains when you have kids, because they clearly don’t understand the circumstances. You can’t impose your own acceptance of risk on other people – that’s not fair.”― Jimmy Chin

21. “The thing that I’ve always believed is that you have to follow your passion, and if climbing is your calling in life and your craft, to not do it is a tragedy. I am always going to encourage my children to follow their passions and dreams, whatever they are.”― Jimmy Chin

22. “There’s intense personal gratification in finding a mountain and becoming inspired by the aesthetics of an unclimbed line on that mountain, especially if that line has been tried by a lot of people who couldn’t do it, and you get to set yourself up against the history of it.”― Jimmy Chin

23. “I try to live intentionally, and the things that move me, I’m going to throw myself at them. I want to see what my potential is. I’m always curious to see what the edge is.”― Jimmy Chin  

24. “As a professional climber, that’s the question you always get: Why, why, why? It’s an ineffable thing; you can’t describe it.”― Jimmy Chin

25. “I’ve hidden behind the camera my whole life because I much, much, much prefer shooting. Being behind the camera is my safe space, and it’s my creative space, too.”― Jimmy Chin

26. “Meru was the most challenging climb of my life. Not once but twice.”― Jimmy Chin

27. “The way we approached Meru, and the way we approach a lot of these mountains, is with humility. A sense of, ‘Is it going to give us passage?’ Your mental attitude can affect the outcome.”― Jimmy Chin

28. “I like the idea of infinite human potential, and a lot of my photography and filmmaking has been focused on that.”― Jimmy Chin

29. “I’ve always been interested in working with top athletes, athletes who are pushing the edge and are really progressive in the outdoor space and adventure world.”― Jimmy Chin

30. “I’m constantly out of my mind trying to stay in shape.”― Jimmy Chin

31. “Creating films and photographs through situations that few others could experience is my life’s inspiration.”― Jimmy Chin

32. “When you’re climbing something as challenging as Meru, it’s all about efficiency. Even a decision as small as what to eat for dinner would expend energy you need for making other, more dramatic decisions.”― Jimmy Chin

33. “I’ve tried to eat little shrubs before. We were on an unsupported 20-plus day traverse, following the migration of endangered antelope across the Chang Tang Plateau. We were like, ‘Oh, this is what they ate; we should try it.’”― Jimmy Chin

34. “You can show up at Everest having never really climbed before, because it’s like hiking, basically. You can’t show up on Meru and start up the thing unless you have years and years of experience. Climbing and spending time on the mountains is really the only way you can train.”― Jimmy Chin

35. “I think being a good dad is on the list of things to do. But, I will always ski, climb, surf, and be out in the mountains and oceans. It’s who I am. My goal is to just keep doing it all and enjoying it.”― Jimmy Chin