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Sir Edmund Hillary was the first to climbe Mt. Everest...probably.

His sherpa, Tenzing Norgay may have gotten there first. Maybe not.

Tenzing Norgay admitted in his biography that Hillary was first.

Hillary, modest, would not "confirm he was first, saying he and the Sherpa had climbed as a team to the top." 

It doesn't matter. Neither could have accomplished the feat without the other.

What can we learn from Hillary?

1. He kept his promise. In the Air Force in 1943, he promised he would be a mountaineer when he was 24.

2. Adversity did not prevent him from keeping his promise. Badly burnt in an accident when he was 26, he still climbed.

"I don't regard myself as a cracking good climber. I'm just strong in the back. I have a lot of enthusiasm and I'm good on ice," he said.

3. He dreamed big. When he was 34 he and his Sherpa, Tenzing Norgay conquered Mt. Everest.

"We all have dreams — but Ed has dreams, then he's got this incredible drive, and goes ahead and does it," long-time friend Jim Wilson said in 1993. 

4. Big accomplishments lead to big recognition. He was knighted the same year he climbed Everest.

"Sir Ed described himself as an average New Zealander with modest abilities. In reality, he was a colossus. He was an heroic figure who not only 'knocked off' Everest but lived a life of determination, humility, and generosity," Prime Minister Clark said in announcing his death.

5. Not only could he climb, he could write. High Adventure was published when he was 36.

6. Sometimes there is more than one dream to fulfill in a lifetime. He and his team became the first to reach the South Pole when he was 39.

7. He knew how to give. He started a fundraising and charity work to build a school in Khumjung when he was 42.

His commitment to Nepal took him back more than 120 times. His adventurer son Peter has described his father's humanitarian work there as "his duty" to those who had helped him.

8. He had more than one thing to say/write - He published High in the Thin Cold Air, Schoolhouse in the Clouds and No Latitude for Error from when he was 42- to 46-years old. 

9. Even a great man can suffer from depression when he loses those he loves. His wife and 16-year old daughter were killed in a plane crash in Kathmandu when he was 56.

10. Dreams are chased and realized even near 60. He and his son travelled by jet boat from the mouth of the sacred Ganges to within 130 miles of its source in the Himalaya's.

11. Luck will keep you alive, but you might lose a friend. Hillary's friend, Mulgrew replaced him as a commentator but died when the plane crashed. 

12. The longer you live, the more you have to say. He published Nothing Venture, Nothing Win, (56)  From the Ocean to the Sky (60) and Two Generations (65).

13. There's work to be done even in our old age. He served as New Zealand High Commissioner to India from 66-70 years old.

14. Even old people want love and companionship. He married his close friend's wife, June Mulgrew when he was 70.

15. Son's turn out like their fathers. Hillary's son Peter climbed Everest when Hillary was 71.

16. Death is when we should slow down. He was still writing at 80 - Published A View from the Summit.

"We drew closer together as Tenzing brought in the slack on the rope. I continued cutting a line of steps upwards. Next moment I had moved onto a flattish exposed area of snow with nothing by space in every direction," Hillary wrote.

"Tenzing quickly joined me and we looked round in wonder. To our immense satisfaction we realized with had reached the top of the world."

17. Anniversaries can indeed be meaningful. He celebrated the 50th year of his ascent of Everest in 2003.

18. Only death could stop the man. He died today.

"Human life is far more important than just getting to the top of a mountain."

What characteristics of Hillary to you want to acquire most? 

source & source 

See also 

Hillary: beekeeper who stood on top of the world