Frank A. Worsley

Shackleton’s Boat Journey

Stefano Zorzi

Lasting fame is a fragile thing-it has often little to do with the magnitude of the achievement but rather with being fortunate enough to do the right thing at the right time-or to die in suficiently romantic circumstances to capture the imagination of the public.

And yet Shackleton, great explorer though he was, could probably be regarded as unsuccessful on all his major journeys--if success is judged solely by the lim- ited standard of whether a set goal has been achieved. It was as a leader of men and an overcomer of appall- ing obstacles that Shackleton really excelled. Not for him an easy task and a quick success-he was at his best when the going was toughest. The enormous affection and respect he engendered in his expedition members (often mighty men themselves) shines through in their diaries and writings.

Shackleton’s Boat Journey quotes

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