Ann Bancroft

“For me, the greatest obstacles are never on the ice itself. That's the area I excel in. That's where my passion is. I think we all strive to push ourselves, to overcome our struggles. And when we do, we get to know ourselves better.”

“I wanted to be a teacher, but I was a lousy student, one of the slowest readers. It was a tremendous struggle. But I'm lucky I had some teachers who saw something in me.”

“The best way to get most husbands to do something is to suggest that perhaps they're too old to do it.”

“Getting through high school and college was one of my greatest achievements.”

“I think we all strive to push ourselves, to overcome our struggles. And when we do, we get to know ourselves better.”

“I get stubborn and dig in when people tell me I can't do something and I think I can. It goes back to my childhood when I had problems in school because I have a learning disability.”

“Film critics said I gave a voice to the fear we all have: that we'll reach a certain point in our lives, look around and realize that all the things we said we'd do and become will never come to be - and that we're ordinary.”

“I had no doubts I could go to the pole. I may not be as strong, but I make up for physical strength in other areas, like steadiness and not panicking under stress.”

“I love that place where you get in running where you're just never out of breath and you just feel like you could go forever. I love that. I love feeling strong.”

“To push behind the dog sled and run in front of the dog sled. That was always an interesting job.”

“I'm sort of a strange bird.”

“Running is my bedrock activity.”

“I have a whole, you know, pocket full of dreams I want to achieve. I don't know in which order they're going to fall.”

“And then there's also this element of - some people would describe it as spirits or a presence that appears when things are very difficult, physically and emotionally. You know, when you're really putting out. So the third man aura is sort of an appearance. It's the yeti.”

“My brother Bill, who is a year older, is a climber, and when I was in the seventh grade, he taught me how to rappel off the frozen waterfall in our backyard.”

“I'm lucky I had some teachers who saw something in me.”

“The voices of women need to be heard. The volume needs to be turned up.”

“A life lesson for me is, how do you muster the courage to take on a new risk? Whether it's starting up a business or taking on a new project or expedition. I think the risks that we take are all relative to the risk-taker.”

“I think that women on expeditions often get sucked into giving 150 percent of themselves because they feel they have to prove themselves physically equal to men. We get ourselves into trouble and burn out.”

“Skydiving is something I've never done! And I am very excited to take the leap with a community of like-minded courageous women.”