79 of the Best Mountain Quotes (with Pics!) to Inspire You in 2024

Looking for some inspiration this 2024? Here’s my personal collection of the best mountain quotes to inspire you.

There is something humbling about mountains. Maybe it’s their tall and grandiose appearance or the initial intimidation when you cast your eyes on it. But ultimately, the most humbling part is the sense of accomplishment that you get after climbing one.

The feeling of achievement, appreciation for the journey, and the chance to be outdoors. In no particular order, here’s a list of the best quotes about mountains to hopefully inspire you to seize your days and lead a life of adventure.

Inspirational Mountain Quotes

1. “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” -Greg Child

2. Never measure the height of a mountain until you reach the top. Then you will see how low it was.” -Dag Hammerskjold

3. “Go where you feel most alive.”

Growing up, I’ve always preferred beaches over mountains, however every time I am surrounded by hightop trees and towering boulders, it has such a powerful effect on me. Whenever I am hiking in nature, I feel so much more connected to the world around me!

There is nothing more satisfying than getting to the top of a mountain.

I love these quotes about mountains, particularly the one by Mark Obmascik- mountains really do have a way of making our problems seem insignificant. Have you ever felt this before?

If you like these quotes, feel free to pin them on Pinterest and share them around! If you like this article, also check out our article on the Best Travel Quotes.

4. “I like the mountains because they make me feel small,’ Jeff says. ‘They help me sort out what’s important in life.”― Mark Obmascik

5. “He who climbs upon the highest mountains laughs at all tragedies, real or imaginary.” ― Friedrich Neitszche

6. “The mountains are calling and I must go.” – John Muir

Every so often, my partner and I would often just pack our bags and head to a nearby mountain to hike. Being that we work online, we’re conscious about taking a break from technology and going on social media detoxes.

For us, not only does it keep us grounded but it also helps us keep a great balance! When it’s time for a detox, we usually plan a hike or just hop on our motorbikes and drive somewhere where we rent a small hut with a hammock and spend all day reading. It’s blissful!

7. “The way up to the top of the mountain is always longer than you think. Don’t fool yourself, the moment will arrive when what seemed so near is still very far.” — Paulo Coelho

8. “Mountains are only a problem when they are bigger than you. You should develop yourself so much that you become bigger than the mountains you face.”
― Idowu Koyenikan

9. “Hike more. Worry Less.”

10. “Climb the mountain not to plant your flag, but to embrace the challenge, enjoy the air and behold the view. Climb it so you can see the world, not so the world can see you.” ― David McCullough Jr.

11. The top of one mountain is always the bottom of another. Marianne Williamson

12. Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far they can go.” – T.S. Eliot

Mountain Quotes by Sir Edmund Hillary

The quote below by Sir Edmund Hillary is so powerful-especially in the mountaineering community. A couple of months ago, we decided to hike up to Everest Base Camp. While what we did does not compare to those climbers that opt to the summit, I can only imagine what they went through as they faced the cold and altitude.

13. “Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain.” – Edmund Hillary

14. “People do not decide to become extraordinary. They decide to accomplish extraordinary things.” ― Edmund Hillary

15. “It is not the mountain we conquer, but ourselves”― Sir Edmund Hillary

As mentioned above, one of the best mountain treks we’ve done was when we did Everest Basecamp. It took a total of 14 days and was one of the hardest treks I’ve ever done. The mountain itself wasn’t steep but it was mainly the altitude that I battled with.

Through it all though, I will never forget the feeling of reaching Basecamp. After days and days of walking in the bitter cold, the views up there was worth every step and every cold night that we had to endure. Would I do it again? In a heartbeat!

16. “I’ve realized that at the top of the mountain, there’s another mountain.” – Andrew Garfield

17. “The best view comes after the hardest climb.”

18. “If adventure has a final and all-embracing motive, it is surely this: we go out because it is our nature to go out, to climb mountains, and to paddle rivers, to fly to the planets and plunge into the depths of the oceans… When man ceases to do these things, he is no longer man.” – Wilfrid Noyce

19. “If you are faced with a mountain, you have several options. You can climb it and cross to the other side. You can go around it. You can dig under it. You can fly over it. You can blow it up. You can ignore it and pretend it’s not there. You can turn around and go back the way you came. Or you can stay on the mountain and make it your home.”— Vera Nazarian

Short Mountain Quotes

20. “Every mountain top is within reach if you just keep climbing.” – Barry Finlay

21. “The cliche is that life is a mountain. You go up, reach the top and then go down.” – Jeanne Moreau

22. “Every man should pull a boat over a mountain once in his life.” – Werner Herzog

23. “You are not in the mountains. The mountains are in you.”  -John Muir

24. “How wild it was, to let it be.” – Cheryl Strayed

The popular book by Wild by Cheryl Strayed is a great book on human effort, determination, and love for the outdoors. It was such a fantastic read and is one of my favorite mountain quotes ever!

Quotes About Mountains

These quotes about mountains are just a quick reminder about how beautiful it is to spend time in nature. It has a humbling effect, making you realize that the world is so much bigger than whatever it is you’re going through at the moment.

When you climb mountains, you feel attune with nature. You feel at peace. And while it might not always be easy, the challenge makes it worth it. Conquering rocky mountains is just another metaphor for life and being able to deal with whatever it throws towards you.

Mountain life is simple. You smell the clean mountain air, you’re at peace with nature, where you can sit still and enjoy the mountain tops. Here’s a few mountain quotes to inspire you. 

25. “The mountains were his masters. They rimmed in life. They were the cup of reality, beyond growth, beyond struggle and death. They were his absolute unity in the midst of eternal change.” ― Thomas Wolfe

26. “May your dreams be larger than mountains and may you have the courage to scale their summits.” -Harley King

27. “You cannot stay on the summit forever; 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. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.” – Rene Daumal

28. “Everybody wants to reach the peak, but there is no growth on the top of a mountain. It is in the valley that we slog through the lush grass and rich soil, learning and becoming what enables us to summit life’s next peak.” -Andy Andrews

The quote by Andy Andrews is one of my favorite quotes about mountains as I believe it really speaks about the nature of hiking and why you do it. It’s a test of character and often times, the mountain peak is not really the destination but the overall hike itself is the journey.

If you’re looking for mountain quotes to inspire, check out this quote below which talks about what nature can teach us about life.

29. “Earth and sky, woods and fields, lakes and rivers, the mountain and the sea, are excellent schoolmasters, and teach some of us more that what we could learn from books.” – John Lubbock

30. “Great things are done when men and mountains meet; This is not done by jostling in the street.” -William Blake

31. “Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb.” -Greg Child

32. “I go to seek a great perhaphs” – John Green

Motivational Mountain Quotes

The following quotes about mountains are a few of my favorite ones. This quote in particular, “Stop staring at mountains. Climb them instead, yes, it’s a harder process but it will lead you to a better view.” talks about just going for things in life which I absolutely love.

33. “Success comes to those who have an entire mountain of gold that they continually mine, not those who find one nugget and try to live on it for fifty years.” – John C. Maxwell

34. “Stop staring at mountains. Climb them instead, yes, it’s a harder process but it will lead you to a better view.”

35. “There are far better things ahead than the ones we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis

36. “Nature is one of the most underutilized treasures in life. It has the power to unburden hearts and reconnect to that inner place of peace.” -Janice Anderson

37. “Mountains are only a problem when they are bigger than you. You should develop yourself so much that you become bigger than the mountains you face.” – Idowu Koyenikan

38.  All good things are wild and free.

Before I quit my job to travel the world (and later on pursue blogging), I was a teacher and Dr. Seuss was a staple in my classroom!

Although his books are written with kids in mind, I love all of them and always get pretty valuable lessons. This quote below is a particular favorite and is just a reminder that anything is possible once you put your mind to it.

Mountain Captions for Instagram

39. “You’re off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, so… get on your way!” -Dr. Seuss

40.‘’The most dangerous thing you can do in life is play it safe.’’ – Casey Neistat

41. “Coffee, Mountains, Adventure”

42. “Don’t be afraid to fail. Be afraid not to try.”

43.“The farthest mountain is the one you think you can never reach and it may even be just by the side of you!” -Mehmet Murat ildan

44. “Although I deeply love oceans, deserts, and other wild landscapes, it is only mountains that beckon me with that sort of painful magnetic pull to walk deeper and deeper into their beauty.” – Victoria Erikson

45.“Without mountains, we might find ourselves relieved that we can avoid the pain of the ascent, but we will forever miss the thrill of the summit. And in such a terribly scandalous trade-off, it is the absence of pain that becomes the thief of life.” – Craig D. Lounsbrough

46. Mountains are the beginning and the end of all natural scenery. John Ruskin

Funny Mountain Quotes

Often times, a lot of the quotes about mountains can be profound and deep when in reality, there are also a ton of fantastic funny mountain quotes. Here are a few of my favorite ones.

47. “You can’t buy happiness, but you can buy a lift pass.”

48. “Sometimes, you just need to change your altitude.”

49. “There is no wifi in the mountains, but I promise you will find a better connection.”

50. “Sleeping bags are the soft tacos of the bear world.”  

51. “When you start to feel down, it might just be time to change your altitude.”

52. “And just when you think chocolate couldn’t taste any better…you have a bite when hiking.”

53. “When people start to annoy you, forget them. Just head to the mountains.”

54. “Until further notice, assume that we’re peaking.”

Mountain Quotes to Inspire

Listed below are a few quotes about mountains which I personally love. This quote by Casey Neistat “The most dangerous thing you can do in life is play it safe.’’ is one of the most inspirational mountain quotes which relate to mountain climbing.

Often times, when it comes to climbing mountains, you test your limits and push yourself to be and do better. Another inspirational quote that I love is by Nyki Mack who says “Always be thankful for the little things… even the smallest mountains can hide the most breathtaking views!” 

It is a quote about mountains which speaks to me.

55. “In the mountains there are only two grades: You can either do it, or you can’t.”

56. “Chasing angels or fleeing demons, go to the mountains.” – Jeffrey Rasley

57. “Keep close to Nature’s heart… and break clear away, once in awhile, and climb a mountain or spend a week in the woods. Wash your spirit clean.” – John Muir

58. “Getting to the top is optional. Getting down is mandatory.” – Ed Viesturs

59. “I’ve realised that at the top of the mountain, there’s another mountain.” – Andrew Garfield 

Captions About Mountains

60. “The climb speaks to our character, but the view, I think, to our souls.” – Lori Lansens

61. “The most dangerous thing you can do in life is play it safe.’’ – Casey Neistat

62. “Stop staring at mountains. Climb them instead, yes, it’s a harder process but it will lead you to a better view.”

63. “The summit is what drives us, but the climb itself is what matters.” – Conrad Anker

64. “The experienced mountain climber is not intimidated by a mountain – he is inspired by it.” – William Arthur Ward

65. “When preparing to climb a mountain – pack a light heart.” – Dan May

Beautiful Mountain Quotes

66. “Always be thankful for the little things… even the smallest mountains can hide the most breathtaking views!” – Nyki Mack

67. “Although I deeply love oceans, deserts, and other wild landscapes, it is only mountains that beckon me with that sort of painful magnetic pull to walk deeper and deeper into their beauty.” – Victoria Erikson

68. “Mountains know secrets we need to learn. That it might take time, it might be hard, but if you just hold on long enough, you will find the strength to rise up.” – Tyler Knott

69. “There are far better things ahead than the ones we leave behind.” – C.S. Lewis

70. “When the wind calls, you know, that somewhere in the mountains, it has found the answers that you were looking for. The pull of the horizon overcomes the inertia of reason… And you just have to go.” – Vikram Oberoi

71. “Life sucks a lot less when you add mountain air, a campfire and some peace and quiet.” – Brooke Hampton

72. “If you cannot understand that there is something in man which responds to the challenge of this mountain and goes out to meet it, that the struggle is the struggle of life itself upward and forever upward, then you won’t see why we go.” – Edmund Hillary

Motivational Mountain Sayings

73. “Mountains are only a problem when they are bigger than you. You should develop yourself so much that you become bigger than the mountains you face.” – Idowu Koyenikan

74. “When the sun is shining I can do anything; no mountain is too high, no trouble too difficult to overcome.” – Wilma Rudolph

75. “You cannot stay on the summit forever; 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. One climbs, one sees. One descends, one sees no longer, but one has seen.” – Rene Daumal

Quotes by John Muir

76. “In every walk with nature one receives far more than he seeks.” -John Muir

77. “When one tugs at a single thing in nature, he finds it attached to the rest of the world.”-John Muir

78. “Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop away from you like the leaves of Autumn.” –John Muir

79. “Thousands of tired, nerve-shaken, over-civilized people are beginning to find out that going to the mountains is going home; that wildness is a necessity” –John Muir

Hopefully, these mountain quotes have inspired you to conquer your own mountains, seize the day, and make the most out of every experience.

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