Wednesday, November 8th, 1893
Here I sit in the still winter night on the drifting ice-floe, and see only stars above me. Far off I see the threads of life twisting themselves into the intricate web which stretches unbroken from life's sweet morning dawn to the eternal death-stillness of ice. Thought follows thought—you pick the whole to pieces, and it seems so small—but high above all towers one form … Why did you take this voyage? … Could I do otherwise? Can the river arrest its course and run up hill? My plan has come to nothing. That palace of theory which I reared, in pride and self-confidence, high above all silly objections has fallen like a house of cards at the first breath of wind. Build up the most ingenious theories and you may be sure of one thing—that fact will defy them all. Was I so very sure? Yes, at times; but that was self-deception, intoxication. A secret doubt lurked behind all the reasoning. It seemed as though the longer I defended my theory, the nearer I came to doubting it. But no, there is not getting over the evidence of that Siberian drift-wood. But if, after all, we are on the wrong track, what then? Only disappointed human hopes, nothing more. And even if we perish, what will it matter in the endless cycles of eternity?
~ Fridtjof Nansen (1861-1930)
Farthest North: The Incredible Three-Year Voyage to the Frozen Latitudes of the North
Nansen was a Norwegian scientist, diplomat, Arctic explorer, & humanitarian, who received a Nobel Peace Prize for his work on behalf of refugees and people displaced by World War I. His "Nansen passport" for stateless persons was recognized by more than 50 countries.
I'm just back from the snowy stretches of Swedish Lapland and am choosing a Nansen quote today in order to keep feeling that lovely cold & seeing the miles of snowy firs & birches.