Quotes, Ramblings and Words of Inspiration for 2009
January 1, 2009, 2:52 PM
By: Jake Howard
Rather than bombard your poor, pounding, hung-over head with a bunch of "information," I reckon on this, the very first day of 2009, we'll take a more reflective (albeit lazy) approach to the blog. With reflection on the mind and hopes of a much better year ahead, I've collected 11 quotes to help inspire us to push forward. Happy New Year, hope your head's feeling better, and enjoy the epiphanies:
"Attitudes, not in mass, are changing, and these new feelings will not be squelched." —Fred Van Dyke, Once Upon Abundance.
"Because the world is changing, we can never assume that the way we have done things in the past is adequate for the future." —Yvon Chouinard, Let My People Go Surfing.
"When you see the different generations interact so happily and effectively, I really feel like the surfing community has a lot to teach the rest of society. The old boys stay young by tapping into the energy of the youth, and the younger surfers benefit from the experience of their elders. It's a form of tribalism—the passing on of wisdom and the comfortable relationship between the generations." —Rabbit Bartholomew, Bustin' Down The Door.
"Surfing's always been tribal. The sport's consciousness revels in reliving legends, passing on important memories to the next generation, the next country...It connects beaches as far flung as Padang Padang and Pipeline, Tavarua and Narrabeen, Raglan and the Bay of Plenty." —Nat Young, The History of Surfing.
"The pleasures and struggles of 'outdoor sports' express the very essence of the way we are—or at least the way we were—in the world." —Dan Duane, Foreword to Maverick's: The Story of Big-Wave Surfing.
"When Josh Loya asks, 'Why do we do it?' he's posing the immortal big-wave question. All big-wave surfers ask it of themselves. All of them field it from magazine writers, TV reporters, mothers, fathers, girlfriends, and wives. Surfers often couch their reply in interesting ways. 'I do it because' regularly becomes 'We do it because,' or the second-person 'You do it because,' and occasionally the presumptuous 'He does it because.' Loya might be the only big-wave surfer, active or retired, to answer 'I don't know.'" —Matt Warshaw, Maverick's: The Story of Big-Wave Surfing.
"As a veteran traveler in the third world and areas of marginal sanity, I am accustomed to the personal irregularities one endures and the bizarre behavior among the natives one encounters. I mean, you expect slovenliness from Ubangis, Aborigines or people that surf Sebastian Inlet, you know, the real primitives." —Bruce Valuzzi, "Morocco: Surf Madness and 1001 Moorish Days and Nightmares," The Best of Surfer Magazine.
"I was born landlocked, which in my case meant that I started out life disadvantaged." —Mike Doyle, Morning Glass.
"To understand Eddie Aikau, you have to understand his hero, Duke Paoa Kahanakmoku. For kids life is a long search for people to believe in and look up to, and real heroes are often hard to find. But Eddie found one in Duke." —Stuart Holmoes Coleman, Eddie Would Go: The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero.
"The myth of Teahupoo, like all ancient myths, encourages man to transcend his limits. Those who stick to their known capacities never go forward." —Tim McKenna, Teahupoo: Tahiti's Mythic Wave.
"If you do things that try to make sense out of wrong, all kinds of bad shit can result. For starters, you may get yourself killed off or sent to the hoosegow—both very negative incentives that should help keep you from screwing up. Besides, every time you act from the wrong motives, people you know and who rely upon you lose respect for you. And respect is not something that you can just buy back." —Willie Nelson, The Tao of Willie.
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Contributors
Jon Coen
Jon is from New Jersey and continues to reside there with his wife and dog—which means occasional empty barrels and the occasional session in the snow.The state isn't as dirty as people might think, but he'll let them keep believing that.
Jake Howard
Jake lives, writes, and surfs in San Clemente, California. He spent his formative gremlin years surfing points north of San Francisco, and for the last 10 years has been contently surviving behind the Orange Curtain.
Kimball Taylor
Author of Return by Water, as well as books on Jeffreys Bay and Pipeline, Kimball drives a red hot Camero, and back in the '70s, he used to party with your Dad.
Daniel Ikaika Ito
Daniel surfs like a hippie, but dresses like a homie. The Native Hawaiian originally hails from Hilo, but now resides in Honolulu. He enjoys twin-fins, new sneakers and being ESPN's "Cuz On The Scene" in the 50th State.
Jason Kenworthy
About as majestic as a turkey vulture, when he's not shlepping his lens around the world or looking for road kill, Jason can be found at home in Dana Point tending to his growing brood.
