"...for nothing contributes so much to tranquilize the mind as a steady purpose- a point on which the soul may fix its intellectual eye." -pg. 2
Walton is not certain about how successful he willl be on his voyage. He knows that many hardships are going to pave the way for him. However, because he set his mind to it, he knows that he will not give up. The mind is more powerful than the body in that it does not waver or weaken over time as long as it has a purpose to sustain it. Walton feels dispair and disappointment, but that solely human characteristic, determination, will keep him going long after someone without purpose would have given up. His purpose also helps him in reaching another goal which is to find a friend. His common yearning, to answer the questions about the secrets of the universe, unites him with "the stranger". Their similar interests have given them similar goals, and therefore put them on paths destined to cross.
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