Finding Ultra Quotes

“The prize never goes to the fastest guy,” Chris replied. “It goes to the guy who slows down the least.” True in endurance sports. And possibly even truer in life.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“David Goggins quote I’d read years back—the idea that when you believe you’ve reached your absolute limit, you’ve only tapped into about 40 percent of what you’re truly capable of. The barrier isn’t the body. It’s the mind.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“when the mind is controlled and spirit aligned with purpose, the body is capable of so much more than we realize.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Pursue what’s in your heart, and the universe will conspire to support you.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“the words of writer Daphne Rose Kingma came to mind: “Surrender is a beautiful movement in which you gracefully, willingly, languidly fall, only to find midway that you have been gathered into some unimaginable embrace. Surrender is letting go, whether or not you believe the embrace will occur. It’s trust to the hundredth power—not sticking to your idea of the outcome, but letting go in the faith that even the absence of an outcome will be the perfect solution.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“You can stand in the light. And you can set a positive example. But you simply cannot make someone change.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“I have come to appreciate that great beauty lies in destruction.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“The only way through was to surrender—to”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“the typical amateur endurance athlete trains far too hard on the aerobic and active recovery days. But not nearly hard enough on the intense days. A certain level of proficiency can be achieved this way, but full potential is never realized.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Because she understood what I was only then coming to realize—that safety isn’t just an illusion, it’s a cop-out. I know it sounds trite, but there’s simply nothing like a near-death experience to remind one of the impermanence of everything. And living imprisoned by fear only to die with regret over dreams postponed was a life neither of us was interested in.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“I felt bad, yet I knew I’d made the right choice. I was following my heart.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“The only thing I knew with clarity was that a voice deep in my heart continued to chant, Keep going. You’re on the right track.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“when purpose aligns with faith, there can be no failure and all needs will be met—because the universe is infinitely abundant.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“From that lost soul careening into oblivion—hoping to die but unable to live—to a man now fully engaged in life, meeting reality head-on in the grips of this most fantastic adventure.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“I loved the pain, and the pain loved me back.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Do what you love; love those you care about; give service to others; and know that you’re on the right path. There’s a new path waiting for you, too. All you have to do is look for it—then take that first step. If you show up and stay present, that step will eventually become a gigantic leap forward. And then you’ll show us who you really are.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“What's the worst thing that can happen? she'd ask. We're healthy. In love. Living life according to our own rules. And that's all that matters. Everything else is just stuff.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“We took the better part of the afternoon of December 31 to itemize the things that no longer served us”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Every great artist will tell you their best song, painting, performance, movie, or book is somehow flawed. It could have been better. They just decided it was time to stop working on it. The moment has arrived to finally let it go. Because holding out for perfection deprives the world its opportunity to enjoy it. And because it too creates paralysis—an immovable roadblock to future expression, and thus growth.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Before you decide on the what, you need to know your why. To know your why, you need to know yourself. And that, my friends, is an inside job.”
― rich roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Every athlete invariably yearns for the easy victory. But what is to be gleaned from such a fortuitous event? Not much. It's great for insatiable cravings of the ego. But it's an utter failure as a learning experience. Conversely, when things go horribly awry you are tested. Because obstacles force you to make decisions. And it's those decisions that reveal character.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Most people wildly overestimate what they can accomplish in a day, and woefully underestimate what they can accomplish in a year, let alone a decade.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“experience has taught me that we all sit atop mountains of untapped potential, capable of so much more than we allow ourselves to believe.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Let go of the end game. Instead, fall in love with the process. Show up for life with enthusiasm and commitment. Connect with spirit. Wrestle with your soul and relish every hardship. Along the way, be patient. Go gently. And give freely of yourself to others. Because it’s the journey that truly gives your path meaning. And there truly is no destination.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Imagine a rocket ship on the launchpad. It takes a tremendous amount of force to propel such a vessel from the Earth’s surface to the outer reaches of its gravitational pull. But once in orbit, only the smallest force is required to guide that ship’s trajectory. You are the ship. Those with whom you surround yourself are the thrusters—powerful engines that can either detonate you upon ignition or propel you beyond the Earth’s atmosphere, releasing you with the self-propelling tools and habits required to pursue the interstellar landscape of your dreams.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“But what if I can’t? Actually you can—it’s your life, and it’s a choice. That said, I understand the degree of difficulty at play, especially if the dream crushers happen to be the people closest to us. Excising them from your life isn’t exactly an option. At a minimum, it’s crucial that you de-escalate the intimacy of such relationships. Poo poo-ers need not be privy to your dream. Don’t let them rent space in your head. Take away their power. Create healthy boundaries. Seal your field. If this strikes you as selfish, consider that impulse a reflection of poor self-esteem—people who maintain such relationships often do so because they feel undeserving of better ones. A self-respecting person wouldn’t tolerate it, so why should you? Don’t you owe it to yourself to surround yourself with those that elevate and believe in you?”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“It’s said you are the average of the five people with whom you spend the most time. So take control of your inner circle. Upgrade. Seek out the positive, aspirational people in your life. Engage those you admire.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“One can spend one’s whole life climbing the ladder, only to realize it’s been placed against the wrong wall.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“Dateline, Kailua-Kona, Hawaii. Approximately 11:00 P.M. In fewer than seven days and on five separate islands, Jason Lester and Rich Roll successfully logged 12 miles of swimming, 560 miles of cycling, and 131 miles of running—703 miles in total.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself

“I turned to Jason. “People are watching us, man. We’re not alone. Maybe we’re making a difference—having an impact on people’s lives?” Thinking back, it’s embarrassing to recall those words. It’s not at all like me to engage in such self-congratulatory hyperbole, but that’s what happened. I said it because I was desperate. At that particular moment, I needed to hear myself say it. Because to keep moving forward, I needed to believe that this lunacy held some meaning outside myself. And so did Jason. It seems like such a small thing. But by saying those words out loud we were able to take the focus off the fatigue and embrace an idea that had begun to take root that morning during my pre-swim meditation.”
― Rich Roll, Finding Ultra: Rejecting Middle Age, Becoming One of the World's Fittest Men, and Discovering Myself