"Sometimes we set boundaries for ourselves in life, or even worse, we allow others to do so. In many cases, these boundaries are just in our mind and need to be pushed away."
About Lewis Pugh
Lewis Pugh — Life and Legacy
Lewis Pugh is a prominent ocean advocate and endurance swimmer, recognized for his groundbreaking swims in some of the world's most challenging waters. His commitment to marine conservation is exemplified through his extreme swims, which serve to raise awareness about the urgent need to protect our oceans from climate change and pollution. Pugh's philosophy is encapsulated in his assertion that 'The ocean is our life support system,' highlighting the vital role oceans play in sustaining life on Earth. Through his quotes, Pugh articulates a worldview that emphasizes resilience and collective responsibility in the face of environmental crises. He challenges the status quo by stating, 'If we don’t act now, we will lose everything,' urging individuals and governments alike to take immediate action for the planet's future. His advocacy not only reflects a deep understanding of ecological interconnectedness but also inspires others to join the fight for ocean health. Pugh's work remains relevant today as he continues to influence public discourse on climate action, demonstrating that individual efforts can lead to significant change. His quotes resonate with urgency and hope, reminding us that protecting our oceans is essential for the well-being of future generations.
Quote collection
Lewis Pugh quotes
20 quotes — follow a thought to its full quote page.
"The businessmen of the world who are not taking environmental matters seriously are just wasting money, aside from damaging the environment it's wasting money and in this economic climate you just can't afford to do that."
"Ordinary won't change the world."
"We have to appreciate that we are part of nature, we must work with nature; the environment is our lifeline."
"I think every child in every country, not just South Africa, every year should go to a national park, and it should be part of their basic curriculum."
"Very few things which are really worth achieving come easily. Sometimes they do, but most of the time you really have to work hard and cleverly."
"Britain has bred many great explorers, but they seem to get so little coverage compared to soccer and rugby players."
"I love swimming, swimming's my passion and I hope I swim until the last day of my life, so I really, really do enjoy swimming, but swimming for me is simply a way of carrying a message."
"I've got two dogs - one's a Jack Russell and she's one year old now, and I've got another dog called Kanga, and I got him from a rescue shelter, and there's nothing I enjoy more than just walking them on the beach in Cape Town. I find that very destressing and very relaxing."
"What I'm asking people to do is to look at their lives, wherever they may be. I mean, you may be a housewife or a mother in Gauteng and you're driving your kid to school, you know, and you've got one kid in the back and you're driving 30 kilometres to school and 30 kilometres back, so 60 kilometres in a day, to take one child to school. Is there a possibility that you can put a few more kids, some friends' kids in the car, and start saving on those types of things?"
"I do have spare time and I love to read, and I love just to go to a national park and just relax and just think. But most of the time, it's swimming or talking."
"Mount Everest is a very spiritual place, it's a beautiful mountain."
"I got bored and then joined the British SAS. It was five very exciting years of my life, and then I'd always had this passion for swimming, so started swimming around the world, in some of the most exotic and distant and dangerous locations."
"I was asked to give a speech on the Everest swim, and during the Everest swim, I changed. I changed as a person, I honestly did. That mountain changed me, and I gave a speech about it for nine minutes."
"I was very, very lucky because I started swimming when most of the landmarks in the world had not been swum."
"I'm one of the lucky people that, my job is my passion, is my hobby. I hope this doesn't sound arrogant: I truly feel that this is what I'm meant to do, to swim and to talk about protecting the environment, my two passions."
"I've seen some glaciers in the world which have been, which are just turquoise blue blue glaciers up in the Arctic. It's tragic to think that because of climate change, because of man's actions, they're melting away."
"I had a dream , okay, go do a swim off Antarctica, and I'd train in Gauteng and just dive into the sea off Antarctica... You've really got to do a simulated test as best you can in South Africa before you go off."
"If you've got a problem and you multiply it by 50-million people, it becomes unsolvable, but if you've got a problem and you divide it by 50-million people, it becomes solvable."
"You shouldn't be able to do a swim at the North Pole, it should be frozen over."