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A review by kallis_ema
Mount Analogue: A Tale of Non-Euclidian and Symbolically Authentic Mountaineering Adventures by René Daumal
4.0
"The Bitter-Rose is found only at the summit of the highest peaks. Whoever eats of it finds that, whenever he is about to tell a lie, aloud or to himself, his tongue begins to burn. He can still tell falsehoods, but he bas been warned. (...)To describe an impossible action or an absurd undertaking, they say: 'It's like looking for night in broad daylight,' or 'It's like trying to catch the Bitter-Rose.'"
"You cannot stay on the summit for ever; you have to come down again... So why bother in the first place? Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. In climbing, always take note of difficulties along the way; for as you go up, you can observe them. Coming down, you will no longer see them, but you will know they are there if you have observed them well. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know."
"Shoes, unlike feet, are not something you're born with. So you can choose what you want. At first be guided in your choice by people with experience, later by your own experience. Before long you will become so accustomed to your shoes that every nail, every wing nail will be like a finger to feel out the rock and long to it. They will become a sensitive dependable instrument, like a part of yourself. And yet, you're not born with them; when they're worn out, you'll throw them away and still remain what you are. Your life depends to some extent on your shoes; care for the, properly. But a quarter of an hour each day is enough, for your life depends on many other things as well."
"When you strike off on your own, leave some trace of your passage which will guide you coming back: one stone set on another, some grass weighted by a stick. But if you come to an impasse or dangerous spot, remember that the trail you have left could lead people coming after you into trouble. So go back along your trail and obliterate any traces you have left. This applies to anyone who wishes to leave some mark of his own passage in the world. Even without wanting to, you always leave a few traces. Be ready to answer to your fellow men for the trail you leave behind you."
"Keep your eye fixed on the path to the top, but don't forget to look right in front of you. The last step depends on the first. Don't think you're there just because you see the summit. Watch your footing, be sure of the next step, but don't let that distract you from the highest goal. The first step depends on the last."
"You cannot stay on the summit for ever; you have to come down again... So why bother in the first place? Just this: what is above knows what is below, but what is below does not know what is above. In climbing, always take note of difficulties along the way; for as you go up, you can observe them. Coming down, you will no longer see them, but you will know they are there if you have observed them well. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer but one has seen. There is an art of conducting oneself in the lower regions by the memory of what one saw higher up. When one can no longer see, one can at least still know."
"Shoes, unlike feet, are not something you're born with. So you can choose what you want. At first be guided in your choice by people with experience, later by your own experience. Before long you will become so accustomed to your shoes that every nail, every wing nail will be like a finger to feel out the rock and long to it. They will become a sensitive dependable instrument, like a part of yourself. And yet, you're not born with them; when they're worn out, you'll throw them away and still remain what you are. Your life depends to some extent on your shoes; care for the, properly. But a quarter of an hour each day is enough, for your life depends on many other things as well."
"When you strike off on your own, leave some trace of your passage which will guide you coming back: one stone set on another, some grass weighted by a stick. But if you come to an impasse or dangerous spot, remember that the trail you have left could lead people coming after you into trouble. So go back along your trail and obliterate any traces you have left. This applies to anyone who wishes to leave some mark of his own passage in the world. Even without wanting to, you always leave a few traces. Be ready to answer to your fellow men for the trail you leave behind you."
"Keep your eye fixed on the path to the top, but don't forget to look right in front of you. The last step depends on the first. Don't think you're there just because you see the summit. Watch your footing, be sure of the next step, but don't let that distract you from the highest goal. The first step depends on the last."