The Walker Webcast: Erling Kagge, Legendary Explorer and Best-Selling Author

Host: Willy Walker
Date: November 6, 2025

Episode Overview

In this episode, Willy Walker interviews Erling Kagge, legendary Norwegian explorer, lawyer, art collector, and bestselling author. Kagge shares profound reflections on exploration, inner silence, resilience, and the meaning of adventure. Together, they discuss Kagge’s solo expeditions to the South and North Poles, climbing Mount Everest, the philosophy of silence, the drive to challenge oneself, and the importance of nature, gratitude, and creativity in life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Value and Meaning of Silence

• Kagge’s Antarctic solo expedition:
  • Kagge intentionally removed the batteries from his radio to ensure complete solitude, seeking not only a physical but also an inner journey.
  • The isolation changed his perception:

    “As the days passed by and a few weeks passed by, I started to see more colors… and then I was wondering, is Antarctica changing or am I changing? And of course it was me who was changing.” (03:13)

  • Kagge’s core lesson:

    “Silence is about who you are… While noise… is about everyone else. And that's why most of us prefer noise, because that's the easiest thing in life, is to escape from yourself. …Getting to know yourself is one of the oldest advices in the world.” (04:13)

• The challenge of thought itself:

  “Thinking is also kind of a noise because when you're thinking, you're usually thinking about the future or the past. The most beautiful is to be in the present, not to think.” (05:18)

2. Contrasts and Lessons from North and South Pole Expeditions

• Antarctica vs. Arctic conditions:
  • “Antarctica is a continent circumnavigated by oceans, while the North Pole… is an ocean circumnavigated by continents.” (06:08)
  • The North Pole journey was far more difficult due to shifting ice, drifting, and extreme conditions.
• The essence of these places:

  “The North Pole is just like an idea… even to the moon they could bring some rocks back home. Again from North Pole is absolutely nothing to take with you back home.” (07:27)

• Motivation and legacy:

  “It is a part of this to impress my father. The oldest story in the world is boys wanting to impress their father.” (07:49)

3. The Nature of Exploration & Human Curiosity

• Innate drive:

  “Everyone is born an explorer… almost every kid… will walk off to the house and start to wonder what's between him or she and the horizon.” (08:51)

• The dangers of separating from nature:

  “I think the biggest mistake we're doing today is to separate ourselves from nature… The origin of so many of the problems we have today, from people claiming to be sad, lonely, depressed, to climate change.” (09:55)

4. Resilience, Endurance, and Making Life Difficult

• Perseverance under adversity:

  “To give up is almost always worse than keep on going. …I strongly believe in the importance of making life more difficult than it has to be. …If you're going to have a meaningful life in general, you need to actively make it more difficult.” (13:13)

• Physical challenges:

  • Surviving extreme cold, hunger, exhaustion, and the daily grind of polar expeditions builds both gratitude and perspective.
  • Signature moment:

    “I think that's the origin of gratitude is to get sleep after you have become exhausted, get to eat, get full when you're starving, get warm after you have been freezing.” (14:55)

• Fear and teamwork:

  “To the North Pole. I needed my partner Bergen and he needed me. …if you're egocentric, then you know, you really support your friend. I mean really support each other. …We hardly spoke at all on the expedition. And we end up actually only speaking about food because we were so hungry.” (16:20)

5. Encounters with Danger

• Polar bears and survival:
  • Kagge and his partner carried pistols for polar bear encounters and had to shoot a charging bear at close range:

    “So the bear was standing there watching us. We were watching the bear… And then Berger fought National Geographic. He had this dream about having his photos published in National Geographic. So he dropped his gun, quickly grabbed the camera… And then the bear charged. …We hit it. But you know, if we hadn't killed a bear, the bear would have been sitting here today.” (19:57)

  • After the danger passed:

    “First we stayed absolutely cool when it was happening. But as soon as the bear was dead, we were both just standing there shaking because we have been super scared.” (21:23)

• Resourcefulness:
  • Took the New Testament for reading— “most ideas per gram”—and carried minimal weight. (22:13)

6. Arrival at the Poles and Everest

• North Pole:
  • On arrival, a US spy plane dropped food and reading materials—National Enquirer and Penthouse. (29:28)
• South Pole:
  • After 50 days alone, Kagge’s main dread was “nice” and social pleasantries. He realized he missed physical contact more than conversation:

    “The only thing I really missed was skin contact… someone giving a hug or something. That was the only thing that kind of deeply missed.” (24:53)

• Everest:
  • On reaching the summit, elation was quickly replaced by fear about the descent:

    “But then you haven't been on Everest for long before you start ask yourself, how in hell should I get down again? …You have to be careful every step.” (30:33)

7. The Importance of Gratitude and Generosity

• Practicing gratitude:

  “I try to feel gratitude every day. …It's very complicated to have a good life if you don't feel gratitude.” (32:22)

• Optimism:

  “I think in general you need to be… a little bit optimistic.” (33:03)

8. Reading, Walking, and Creativity

• On reading:

  “I try to read literature of great quality… If you read lousy books, listen to lousy music, see lousy TV… you get 60, 70, 80 years old and you start to wonder, you know, was this my life?” (33:34)

• Technology balance:
  • Kagge readily turns off his phone, does not track steps, or go to the gym. He values purposeless walking and presence.
  • Reference to Hippocrates’ advice: “The best medicine for all times will always be to do a walk.” (36:15)
• Walks and ideas:

  “Today's science has kind of confirmed that walking is really good for creativity. …And with silence too. …When I came up with the idea to start a book publishing business, I was doing the dishes back home… I thought book publishing, it's very conservative. Someone like me can make a. Find my own path, create a company.” (36:48)

9. History, Love, and Endurance

• Remarkable story:
  • Kagge shares a poignant tale of an explorer’s love, loss, and a final wish to have her heart buried with her lost fiancé, underscoring themes of devotion and human connection. (38:32–44:47)

10. The Philosophy and Practice of Silence

• Silence in modern life:
  • Discussion of studies showing people prefer electric shock to being alone in silence, quoting Blaise Pascal:

    “The origin of every problem for man is that he's not able to sit by himself alone in a room doing nothing.” (47:11)

  • Silence is accessible:

    “It's easy to underestimating your own potential for experiencing inner silence, because that silence is there all the time, just waiting for you.” (55:24)

11. Audience Q&A Highlights

• On death and perspective:

  “When you're in nature for a while, you become more and more at one with the nature… you feel that your body doesn't stop by your skin… But if it hadn't been dangerous, it would be kind of pointless.” (48:08)

• On challenges today:

  “The greatest challenge… is to get up in the morning at the right time every day even when it's minus 50 in the tent. …It's always and I'm also sometimes asked like is there anything more to explore? It's always more to explore.” (50:46)

• On art collecting:
  • Kagge draws a parallel between collecting contemporary art and exploration—both require a willingness to embrace the unknown and an obsessive personality. (52:18)
• On finding silence in daily life:

  “You can find [silence] when you have a shower… when you’re making love to your boyfriend, whatever. …Silence is there all the time. Or even better, do a walk, whatever.” (55:24)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments (with Timestamps)

• On silence as self-understanding:
  “Listening to your inner silence is about getting to know yourself. And of course, getting to know yourself is one of the oldest advices in the world.” (04:13)

• On quitting vs. continuing:
  “To give up is almost always worse than keep on going. …if you give up, first of all… as soon as you're back home, you will start to regret it.” (13:03)

• On making life meaningful:
  “I strongly believe in the importance of making life more difficult than it has to be. …That's like, you know, if you're going to have a meaningful life in general, you need to actively make it more difficult.” (13:24)

• On the simple origins of gratitude:
  “That's the origin of gratitude is to get sleep after you have become exhausted, get to eat, get full when you're starving, get warm after you have been freezing.” (14:55)

• On presence and transformation in wilderness:
  “When you're in nature for a while… you become more and more at one with the nature… your body… extends into the nature... you're part of the ice, you're part of the wind, you're part of the temperature, part of the colors.” (48:08)

• On optimism and daily living:
  “You're better off if you're a little bit optimistic.” (33:03)

• On stillness in a noisy world:
  “Silence is there all the time, just waiting for you.” (55:24)

Thematic Takeaways

• Silence and the Present: Kagge’s experience shows that true discovery—of both self and the world—comes in moments of silence, presence, and meaningful challenge.
• Exploration as Mindset: Whether through grand expeditions or reading books, exploration is an innate human urge. Genuine challenge and resilience are essential for a fulfilled life.
• Nature and Human Connection: Reconnecting with nature is central to understanding ourselves and the broader environmental and existential crises of our age.
• The Importance of Art, Reading, and Walking: Intellectual nourishment, physical movement, and openness to wonder foster not just creativity but a sense of purpose and happiness.
• Acts of Quiet Courage: From facing polar bears to sharing personal vulnerability, it is the small, often internal acts of courage and reflection that shape a meaningful existence.

Select Segment Timestamps

• Reflections on silence, colors, and perception — 02:37–04:15
• North Pole vs. South Pole conditions — 06:06–07:45
• On impressing his father and intrinsic motivation — 07:46–09:22
• Endurance and why making life hard matters — 13:03–14:16
• Kagge’s polar bear encounter — 17:36–21:23
• Arriving at the South Pole and physical deprivation — 23:18–24:53
• Everest summit: elation and fear — 30:33–32:04
• On walking, creativity, and solitude — 36:32–38:27
• Love story from the history of North Pole exploration — 38:32–44:47
• Modern study on silence and discomfort — 46:44–47:34
• Audience Q&A: death, stars, exploration mindset — 48:08–54:42
• Finding silence in everyday life — 55:24

Final Thoughts

Erling Kagge’s journey is not solely about conquering physical landscapes, but about internal exploration, gratitude, and the power of silence. Throughout the discussion, his humility, keen insight, and quiet optimism serve as reminders that adventure, meaning, and self-knowledge are always available to us, often closer and quieter than we imagine. This episode encourages listeners to challenge themselves, reconnect with nature and silence, and to find wonder within ordinary moments.

For further reflection:

“One of the reasons I have made an effort to write these books on silence and the north pole I'm walking, etc., is not because I want to inspire everyone to do the same as I have done, but it is to inspire and motivate for everyone to find their own self, pose.” (56:49)