Lewis Pugh Quotes

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.

Most Channel crossings are won or lost before the first stroke is even taken.

I tolerate cold water. Anyone who says they love swimming in freezing water is either lying or has never done it.

...when you swim from England to France you’ve got to leave your doubt on the beach at Dover.

I resolved to follow my dream. I wanted to push every boundary. I wanted to swim further than anyone else. I wanted to cross seas and round capes that no one had dreamed of swimming before. And I wanted to swim in waters that were so cold no one thought it was possible to survive in them. And though it promised to make me poor and would take away the security provided by a career in law, that didn’t worry me.

The right to have our environment protected for the benefit of our generation and the benefit of future generations is our most crucial human right. I do not say that lightly - especially given South Africa’s past.

You don't know pain until you've had a stalactite in your cock.

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.

Thoughts alone won’t make extraordinary things happen. But nothing ever happens if you don’t visualise it first.

A healthy ocean is an ocean with sharks. Take away an apex predator and it’s like removing the lions from the Serengeti. It won’t be long before the gazelle, zebras and wildebeest have multiplied and eaten all the grass. And when the land is laid bare the grazers will starve to death. Predators are crucial for a healthy ecosystem – be it on land or in the water.

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.