A biography for Ant Middletonhasn’t been written yet.
“Never, ever command respect. Always earn it. A leader steps into the arena, and a great leader should never ask anyone to do anything that they haven't done or they haven't experienced.”
“I'm 5' 8,'' and my weight's a steady 82 kg. I fuel my body with the right nutrition, and vitamins like Berocca, to leave me feeling energised and focused to overcome any tough day.”
“When I took on Everest, I'm not there for the views.”
“I was very selfish when I was in the military - a very selfish man.”
“Dad was wiped from our lives. The day after he died, every photo of him disappeared from the house. It was as if he'd never existed. Me and my brothers weren't even allowed to go to his funeral. His death was made absolute.”
“If you mind tells your body you can't do it, you will quit. If your body is giving up, but you think you can carry on, you will naturally keep putting one foot in front of the other.”
“Some jobs are for women, and some jobs are for men. It has nothing to do with how capable women are.”
“There's nothing glorious about combat. I've been there and done that.”
“In Afghanistan, getting shot at was a regular occurrence. I viewed survival as a numbers game. As point man, every time I entered a Taliban compound first, I played the odds in my head.”
“I never looked for trouble, but when it found me, I wouldn't hesitate.”
“I want to see you use your brain. Get the job done efficiently. I want to see an intelligent operator at work. And apart from that, to stay on my good side, just do as you're told.”
“The lowest point for me was ending up in prison after a violent event. I realised I was way out of my depth.”
“I might wake up in the morning and go out for a six- to eight-mile run, and then in the afternoon, I might swim two or three kilometres. The next day, I'll mix it up and do a military circuit. I don't stick to a set programme.”
“The one thing I've always said is I don't want them growing up without a father, and they're my inspiration to make sure I'm the best man I can be. I want them to have the father figure that I never had.”
“Some are happy with where their comfort zone is, but I like to be constantly tested, and I think it's good.”
“When I left the military, I thought I would not have any problems with the transition - I'm very adaptable and very versatile - but I was wrong.”
“I was never one to think about why I need to go running or go to the gym - it just came naturally to me.”
“I'm an extreme do'er - I'm not an intellect; I'm not a bookworm. I do, do, do, and nine times out of ten, I fail, but I learn from that.”
“On a 60-mile trek with a 200-kg. bergen on my back, I felt my ankle break. Some might have given up. I broke my other ankle to even up the pain. And carried on.”
“You come on my course and enter my world - I don't care who you are or where you're from - you're a number until you prove yourself otherwise.”