An authority in the realms of mountaineering and adventurous exploration, Satyabrata Dam is also a fount of wisdom, offering profound insights on life, failure, and the pursuit of one's passions.

On Embracing Challenges and Failure

  1. "Pure happiness is usually achieved only after suffering through some great hardships." - Learning: True joy and a sense of accomplishment are often the direct results of overcoming significant obstacles.
  2. "You don't conquer a mountain. You only succeed in reaching the top." - Learning: The focus should be on personal achievement and the journey, not on dominating nature.
  3. "There is nothing like failure because each expedition teaches." - Learning: Every attempt, regardless of the outcome, is a valuable learning experience.
  4. "My so called fails are actually my best climbs. Since through them...I always learned something new, refreshing and worth learning about myself, about the mountain, about the weather, and certainly about life in general." - Learning: Failures are the greatest teachers, offering insights that success often cannot.
  5. "When we fail we continue to learn. Success often kills our willingness to learn." - Learning: Complacency can come with success, while failure fuels growth and the desire for knowledge.
  6. "I looked up at the white summit...it looked tantalisingly near yet I knew I would never reach it, at least not today. I had reached the end of my endurance, expertise and wits. I had nothing more to counter the mountain’s defences. If I wished to live then today I must quit." - Learning: Part of wisdom is recognizing your limits and having the courage to step back to fight another day.
  7. "The process was more important than the destination." - Learning: The journey of striving towards a goal holds more value than the achievement of the goal itself.
  8. "I think this is it if you don't suffer you really don't enjoy something." - Learning: The struggles and hardships endured make the final achievement all the more sweet and meaningful.

On Life, Death, and Fear

  1. "Death is his best friend. In freezing cold or searing heat, when breaking ice or scaling rocks, he is aware that he can lose his life the next moment." (as described in The Hindu) - Learning: Accepting the inevitability of death can liberate you to live a more fulfilling and fearless life.
  2. "Life means there is death. I have made it my best friend, always waiting for me around the corner." - Learning: By befriending the concept of death, one can remove the fear and live more fully in the present.
  3. "You cannot live fully if you are scared of death because death is a part of life it's like the two sides of the same coin." - Learning: Fear of death is a barrier to a complete life; embracing it as a natural part of existence is key.
  4. "There is hope as long as there is life." - Learning: No matter how dire the circumstances, the mere fact of being alive offers a reason for hope.
  5. "Death is my pal, dearest among the dear ones. I don't repel or deny death. I accept it with fervor and warmth, fondness and fecundity often reserved for the nearest and dearest." - Learning: A profound acceptance of death can lead to a more passionate and vibrant appreciation for life.
  6. "Right on cue, as so many times earlier, when my death and doom is certain, my mind begins to shed all fear and rationality returns so that I may view and experience my death with utmost clarity of senses and soul." - Learning: In moments of extreme danger, a calm and clear mind is the most powerful tool for survival and acceptance.

On Mindset and Philosophy

  1. "Do listen to your head but always follow your heart." - Learning: While logic and reason are important, the most profound life decisions should be guided by one's inner voice and passion.
  2. "The battle between heart and head is an ongoing engagement that would never end... The question is not who will win, but who out of the two, would you allow to win." - Learning: We have the agency to choose whether to live a life dictated by passion or by logic.
  3. "I am free. I trust in Life each day to provide." - Learning: Letting go of the need for control and trusting in the flow of life can lead to a profound sense of freedom.
  4. "The mountains are my teacher." - Learning: Nature is a powerful source of wisdom and self-discovery.
  5. "I have not conquered anything if at all I have conquered it's my own weakness. my own limitations. my own shortcomings." - Learning: The true conquest in any great endeavor is the mastery of oneself.
  6. "All my journeys are within they're not to the top of any mountain it doesn't matter where I reach because for me summit is not really all that important but it's where I reach deep inside myself." - Learning: The ultimate goal of adventure is self-discovery and inner exploration.
  7. "What gives you happiness is life is acceptance accepting who you are accepting what I have got. and just being happy with it." - Learning: True happiness comes from self-acceptance and contentment with one's circumstances.
  8. "Don't be satisfied don't be be content but not satisfied." - Learning: While it's important to be content in the moment, one should never lose the drive to explore and grow.
  9. "‘Impossible’ is only a state of mind." - Learning: The barriers to what we can achieve are often self-imposed mental constructs.
  10. "Are you climbing a mountain. or you're climbing within yourself to discover. yourself because I think We all must try to discover ourselves." - Learning: Every external challenge is an opportunity for internal growth and self-realization.
  11. "You have to challenge yourself you have to risk your life you have to really get out of the comfort zone you have to get off your chairs. and switch off your mobile phones." - Learning: Personal growth requires stepping outside of your comfort zone and taking risks.
  12. "The only way you survive is the way you survive in a city like Delhi you accept. it." - Learning: Acceptance of one's reality, however harsh, is the first step towards navigating and overcoming it.
  13. "I treat the mountains. exactly like that like my own family and friends. so I have to ask and take their permission first." - Learning: A deep respect for nature is fundamental to safely and ethically engaging with it.
  14. "If they tell me to go back I go back if they tell me to go down I go down... I don't question. it." - Learning: Intuition and listening to the subtle signs from your environment are crucial for making wise decisions, especially in high-stakes situations.

On Dreams and Passion

  1. "Follow your dreams and don't just love them, be passionate about them...Success is sure to reach out to you." - Learning: Passion is the driving force that turns dreams into reality.
  2. "I realized that I was born to climb. this was the purpose of my life when I was 10 years old I discovered it in the mountains." - Learning: Discovering and pursuing one's life purpose is a powerful source of motivation and fulfillment.
  3. "I have this impossible dream in my life to climb all the mountains in the world which is impossible nobody can do that. this will keep me motivated. and moving all my life." - Learning: Having a grand, seemingly unattainable dream can provide a lifelong source of motivation and direction.
  4. "What really drives me around the world is not necessarily the vertical. thing that I'm going to do it's my sense of curiosity." - Learning: Curiosity is a fundamental human trait that fuels discovery and progress.
  5. "In discovering the world I'm going to discover. myself." - Learning: Exploration of the external world is a mirror for the exploration of one's inner world.
  6. "Climbing mountains is my journey through life, a pilgrimage and a quest for my own true self." - Learning: Your passion can be the vehicle for your life's journey and self-discovery.
  7. "People say that I do things that very few in the world do and when they ask me why, I reply ‘why not?’" - Learning: Questioning limitations rather than accepting them is the first step towards achieving the extraordinary.
  8. "Internally I am always living in the moment, dreaming and focusing upon what I consider essential for my existence and having fun." - Learning: A fulfilling life is a blend of mindfulness, dreaming, focus, and enjoyment.

On Leadership and Teamwork

  1. "Who am I without the team nothing leader is nothing without the team." - Learning: A leader's success is entirely dependent on the strength and capabilities of their team.
  2. "All I have to do is bring the best out of you in my team that's. it. i don't even have to lead. you all are leaders because everybody's a leader." - Learning: True leadership is about empowering others to become leaders themselves.
  3. "Look into their eyes and Tell them you know. what. i believe you. believe me when a leader tells you this and he really means. it. there is no way you will fail him no way." - Learning: Expressing genuine belief in your team members is a powerful motivator that inspires loyalty and high performance.

Learnings from "Life on Top: Lessons from High Mountains"

His book is structured around key life lessons, as summarized in reviews and the book's description.

  1. Learning to Fail: Embrace failure as an essential part of the learning process.
  2. Learning to Let Go: Find freedom in releasing control and attachment.
  3. Learning to Live: Discover how to live a full and authentic life.
  4. Learning to Die: Accept death as a natural part of life to live more completely.
  5. Learning to be Happy: Understand that happiness is a choice and a state of mind.
  6. Learning to Love: Explore the nature of love and its importance in a meaningful life.
  7. Learning to be Simple: Recognize that simplicity is the key to abundance.

Additional Insights

  1. On Facing Adversity: When buried in an avalanche for 40 minutes, his first thought was regret about missing a speaking engagement, demonstrating a mind that remains focused even in the face of death. This teaches the power of commitment and a unique perspective on life's priorities.
  2. On Human Insignificance and Strength: "Mountains have taught me two very important lessons in life. first is that human beings are so insignificant... at the same time it has also taught. me. that if I want if you want you how strong how determined and how focused you can be." This duality is a core learning about the human condition.
  3. On Introspection: Being stuck in a tent for days provides an opportunity for deep introspection, to ask fundamental questions like "Who am I?" and "What do I want in life?". This highlights the value of solitude and disconnecting from the noise of daily life.
  4. On the Unpredictability of Life: "As so much in life is unpredictable... there are no worst or best moments in life; it all depends on which side of the fence you are looking at it from that decides if it was worst or best; albeit it was certainly a MOMENT." This encourages embracing every moment for what it is, without judgment.

Appendix: Sources