Lewis Pugh Quotes (69 quotes) | Quotes of famous people

p 168
Achieving The Impossible (2010)
Context: I resolved to follow my dream. I wanted to push every boundary. I wanted to swim further than anyone else. I wanted to cross seas and round capes that no one had dreamed of swimming before. And I wanted to swim in waters that were so cold no one thought it was possible to survive in them. And though it promised to make me poor and would take away the security provided by a career in law, that didn’t worry me.

“Everywhere water is under threat. It is our most precious resource. And there is no alternative to it.”

Lewis Pugh

Address to Cape Town Press Club, 13 May 2011 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hpVFBOVJKX4 Speaking & Features

Lewis Pugh Quotes about the sea

“There’s nothing more chilling than swimming across open sea, where recently there used to be a solid glacier.”

Lewis Pugh

Address to the House of Lords (19 November 2010)
Speaking & Features

“No matter how tough my day has been, when I dive into the sea, the world seems perfect.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“Nothing excited me more than opening up the atlas and seeing places and seas, imagining what they looked like and what kind of life the people had.”

Lewis Pugh

p 8
Achieving The Impossible (2010)

“I always feel nostalgic when I disembark (off a ship). It's not that I don't like land. I just love being at sea.”

Lewis Pugh

6 November 2014, Twitter
Speaking & Features

“They have […] a split personality. One moment they’re your best mate, and next they are trying to drag you down to the bottom of the sea to drown you. […] It’s just astonishing.”

Lewis Pugh

p 65, describing leopard seals off Antarctica
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)

“I have been haunted by that swim through the whale graveyard and haven’t been able to get the image of the bones out of my head. Man hunted whales almost to the point of extinction, not seeming to care that we would lose one of the wonders of the sea world forever. It is the coldness of the water in Antarctica that preserves the bones and makes it look like they were left there yesterday but I like to think they are there as a reminder of man’s potential for folly.”

Lewis Pugh

p 315-6, describing his swim at Deception Island, Antarctica (2005)
Achieving The Impossible (2010)

Lewis Pugh: Trending quotes

“Marine Protected Areas are good for the world economy, for the health of the oceans, for every person living on this planet.”

Lewis Pugh

28 September 2014, Sunday Times http://www.pressreader.com/bookmark/NWNJXD8V5BO2/ Speaking & Features Context: When we set aside MPAs we protect the marine habitat. When we do that, fish stocks recover. Which supports food security. When we create MPAs, we protect the coral, which protects the shoreline and provides shelter for fish. Marine Protected Areas are places people want to visit for ecotourism, so it's good for the economy. It has, if you'll pardon the pun, a ripple effect. Marine Protected Areas are good for the world economy, for the health of the oceans, for every person living on this planet.

“We cannot drill our way out of the energy crisis. The era of fossil fuels is over. We must invest in renewable energy.”

Lewis Pugh

Speaking & Features, Standing Up To Goliath
Context: Now is the time for change. We cannot drill our way out of the energy crisis. The era of fossil fuels is over. We must invest in renewable energy. And we must not delay.

“My father taught me to understand that not much was impossible, if you had a mind to go after it.”

Lewis Pugh

p 7
Achieving The Impossible (2010)
Context: My father taught me to understand that not much was impossible, if you had a mind to go after it. What seems beyond you is only unreachable if that’s what you believe.

Lewis Pugh Quotes

“From that moment on, every swim should have the aim of inspiring people to protect and preserve the world’s oceans and all that live in them.”

Lewis Pugh

p 85, describing his swim at Deception Island (2005)
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)
Context: I knew now that I had to stand up and start speaking about protecting our environment. From that moment on, every swim should have the aim of inspiring people to protect and preserve the world’s oceans and all that live in them.

“If this number of humans were killed in a year, it would be called genocide. There is a name for what is happening in our oceans today: it is ecocide.”

Lewis Pugh

28 September 2014, Sunday Times http://www.pressreader.com/bookmark/NWNJXD8V5BO2/ Speaking & Features Context: An estimated 100 million sharks are fished out of the world's oceans every year. Take a minute to mull over that figure. That's over a quarter of a million animals each day … If this number of humans were killed in a year, it would be called genocide. There is a name for what is happening in our oceans today: it is ecocide.

“There’s a fine line between bravery and stupidity, which should never be crossed.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“The trick is to make fear your friend. Fear forces you to prepare more rigorously and see potential problems more quickly.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“To do anything worthwhile, you will face periods of grinding doubt and fear.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“For us to find lasting peace between people, we must first make peace with nature.”

Lewis Pugh

28 September 2014, Sunday Times http://www.pressreader.com/bookmark/NWNJXD8V5BO2/ Speaking & Features

“You must not dither - swim like you're running through a minefield.”

Lewis Pugh

Outside Magazine, 13 April 2009 http://www.outsideonline.com/outdoor-adventure/dropping-in/The-Ice-Bear-Cometh.html?page=all Speaking & Features

“Unless our children have been into nature, it is unlikely they will care about it when they grow up.”

Lewis Pugh

4 November 2010
Speaking & Features

“If you have a passion, follow it. It's the best barometer of what you will be good at. And choose a career that you enjoy – the extra money of a job you detest isn’t worth it.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“When I can’t decide which path to take, I have a meeting with the 75-year-old me. That person usually knows what to do.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“I’m not a rule-breaker by nature. But there are times when you need to untangle yourself from red tape. Because the truth is, if you wait for permission, some things will simply never happen.”

Lewis Pugh

p 94, referencing his swim across Sydney Harbour (2006)
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)

“Look around the world. Wherever you damage the environment, you have conflict. We have had enough conflict in [South Africa] – now is the time for peace.”

Lewis Pugh

Speaking & Features, Standing Up To Goliath

“When people say to me, you must have a very strong mind to swim across the North Pole, or off Antarctica or on Mount Everest, I tell them that endurance swimming builds good mental strength.”

Lewis Pugh

p 16
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)

“Thoughts alone won’t make extraordinary things happen. But nothing ever happens if you don’t visualise it first.”

Lewis Pugh

p 50
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)

“Never plan for victory and defeat in your mind at the same time.”

Lewis Pugh

p 189
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)

“When you are walking up a mountain to attempt something that nobody’s ever tried before, and you pass people bringing corpses down, it becomes very clear that if you get it wrong, the consequences could be fatal.”

Lewis Pugh

p 234, describing his swim on Mt Everest (2010)
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)

“A thought came across my mind: if things go pear-shaped on this swim, how long will it take for my frozen body to sink the four and a half kilometers to the bottom of the ocean?”

Lewis Pugh

TED Talk: Swimming the North Pole, September 2009 http://www.ted.com/talks/lang/en/lewis_pugh_swims_the_north_pole.html Speaking & Features

“Being the first to undertake a swim is exponentially harder than going second. You don’t know what will happen. The fear can be crippling. It’s much easier to go second. You know it’s possible. But the world is divided into pioneers and followers. You are one or the other. I prefer to be a pioneer.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of our generation and the benefit of future generations is our most crucial human right.”

Lewis Pugh

Speaking & Features, My African Dream: Faith Rally Address, COP17
Context: The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of our generation and the benefit of future generations is our most crucial human right. I do not say that lightly - especially given South Africa’s past.

“Always when we walked, it was clear to me how much he loved nature, wild flowers, animals in their natural habitat and the simple pleasures of a beautiful sunset. My love for the environment did not develop out of a vacuum.”

Lewis Pugh

p 21, describing his father
Achieving The Impossible (2010)

“Law taught me how to argue passionately and rationally. That’s key to being a successful environmental campaigner. If you are too emotional you run the risk of turning off policy makers. And if you can’t present your arguments rationally, no one will listen to you.”

Lewis Pugh

Website

“I’ve been swimming for 25 years, and I don’t think there is one swim that I have done where someone didn’t say beforehand, ‘I don’t think it’s possible’ or ‘You’ll never make it’. If someone tells you that you can’t achieve your dream, don’t waste good time arguing. Walk away and do it.”

Lewis Pugh

p 261
21 Yaks And A Speedo (2013)

“There's a tyranny in perfection. Just do things to the very best of your ability. Then move on.”

Lewis Pugh

Website