Lewis Pugh Quotes
born 1969 England
Lewis William Gordon Pugh OIG (born 5 December 1969) is an ocean advocate, maritime lawyer and a pioneer swimmer.
- England
- Environmentalists
- Lawyers
Also known as: Lewis Gordon Pugh
Random Lewis Pugh quote
62 quotes
The trick is to make fear your friend. Fear forces you to prepare more rigorously and see potential problems more quickly.
I always tell young swimmers: 'Practice things until you can't get them wrong. Not until you get them right.' There's a big difference.
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.
Achieving The Impossible (2010)
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.
We made fracking a civil rights issue. Because that is what it is. We all have a right to a healthy environment and to clean water. And so do our children.
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.
As a pioneer swimmer, you've got to be willing to fail and try again. The point isn’t to learn to fail, the point is to learn to bounce back.
There's a tyranny in perfection. Just do things to the very best of your ability. Then move on.
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.
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.
Achieving The Impossible (2010)
...when you swim from England to France you’ve got to leave your doubt on the beach at Dover.
Never, ever did I think that there would be a debate in this arid country about which was more important – gas or water. We can survive without gas. We cannot live without water.
I look for swims where I can carry a powerful message. No message, no swim. I don’t get wet now unless it’s for a reason.
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.
We cannot afford the luxury of cynicism or even pessimism in our reaction to climate change. The situation is too serious. We must tackle it head on – and immediately.
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.
These are areas of unparalleled natural beauty to be handed to our children undisturbed. We are merely custodians. You would not build a toll plaza and an administration block in the Grand Canyon or next to the Victoria Falls or within any other World Heritage Site.”
My own feeling was that witnessing the explosion of an atomic bomb, and having to examine all the dead animals, had a profound effect on my father.
Achieving The Impossible (2010)
I’ve swum through some very cold and rough seas. I think that’s made me more determined than the average person.
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.