--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: People who flew too high—who lived beyond…" description: "\"“People who flew too high—who lived beyond their means and ability—were bound for failure. As were those who never took a chance. Despite”\" — A.G. Riddle" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ce/a-g-riddle-5016_failure_people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyon_469452.jpg" --- # People who flew too high—who lived beyond their means and… ![“People who flew too high—who lived beyond their means and ability—were bound for failure. As were those who never took a chance. Despite” quote by A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ce/a-g-riddle-5016_failure_people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyon_469452.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ce/a-g-riddle-5016_failure_people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyon_469452.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ce/a-g-riddle-5016_failure_people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyon_469452.jpg) > ““People who flew too high—who lived beyond their means and ability—were bound for failure. As were those who never took a chance. Despite”” [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Overreaching leads to failure, as does never taking risks; balance is essential. **In simple terms:** Too much or too little risk leads to failure. Key Takeaway Find a middle ground between ambition and caution. Themes risk ambition balance Mood reflective cautious Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career decisions - investment choices - creative projects - personal growth Key Concepts psychology of success failure analysis Questions to Reflect On - What risks are worth taking now? - How do you measure acceptable risk? A Different Perspective Excessive caution can also limit potential. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Chance Despite](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/chance-despite-4060634/) [Failure](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) [Failure Took](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure-took-4060633/) [Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flew/) [Flew High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flew-high-724241/) [People Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/people-flew-3349652/) ## Related quotes > [“If you fly too high, the sun will melt your wings. If you fly too low, the sea’s dampness will weigh you down. The…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/if-you-fly-too-high-the-sun-will-melt-your-wings-if-you-fly-too-low/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [When I started working on Southwest Airlines, I kid you not, only people flying on business and very wealthy people ever flew.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/when-i-started-working-on-southwest-airlines-i-kid-you-not-only/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Have you ever been up in your plane at night, alone, somewhere, 20,000 feet above the ocean?... Did you ever hear music up there?...…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dalton-trumbo/have-you-ever-been-up-in-your-plane-at-night-alone-somewhere-20-000/) [Dalton Trumbo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dalton-trumbo/) > [One thing about flying that he never got used to was that no matter how awful the weather was on the ground, if you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-clancy/one-thing-about-flying-that-he-never-got-used-to-was-that-no-matter/) [Tom Clancy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-clancy/) > [“But that night in her dream she flew high above the earth in a moonless sky. Behind her, like a falling star, sailed a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chris-kurtz/but-that-night-in-her-dream-she-flew-high-above-the-earth-in-a/) [Chris Kurtz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chris-kurtz/) > [As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly, when they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky. So up to the house-top…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/clement-clarke-moore/as-dry-leaves-that-before-the-wild-hurricane-fly-when-they-meet-with/) [Clement Clarke Moore](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/clement-clarke-moore/) > [I wrapped a movie called 'Zombieland,' in which I was constantly under assault by zombies, then flew to New York, still very much in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-harrelson/i-wrapped-a-movie-called-zombieland-in-which-i-was-constantly-under/) [Woody Harrelson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-harrelson/) > [Gauguin flew into a frenzy! He held my head under the X-ray machine for ten straight minutes and for several hours after I could…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/woody-allen/gauguin-flew-into-a-frenzy-he-held-my-head-under-the-x-ray-machine/) [Woody Allen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/woody-allen/) > [I get really nervous if pigeons are flying around before shows. I can't stand them after one once flew in through my bathroom window…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/niall-horan/i-get-really-nervous-if-pigeons-are-flying-around-before-shows-i-can/) [Niall Horan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/niall-horan/) > [“Imagine what I could have done in ten years. I could have learned to speak Japanese. I could have played every RPG video game…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/imagine-what-i-could-have-done-in-ten-years-i-could-have-learned-to/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Tentatively I stood a great lump of wood on the chopping block and bought the axe down on it. It flew into two perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/helen-garner/tentatively-i-stood-a-great-lump-of-wood-on-the-chopping-block-and/) [Helen Garner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/helen-garner/) > [One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' is a movie that I just find flawless. Jack Nicholson... I just saw 'The Shining' again the other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-biehn/one-flew-over-the-cuckoo-s-nest-is-a-movie-that-i-just-find-flawless/) [Michael Biehn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-biehn/) > [As for the piano, the faster her fingers flew over it, the more he marveled. She struck the keys with aplomb and ran from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gustave-flaubert/as-for-the-piano-the-faster-her-fingers-flew-over-it-the-more-he/) [Gustave Flaubert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gustave-flaubert/) > [As if she had summoned them, a flurry of stones flew out of the darkness, striking his mail, pinging off his helm. One hit…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hilari-bell/as-if-she-had-summoned-them-a-flurry-of-stones-flew-out-of-the/) [Hilari Bell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hilari-bell/) > [You cannot ... transmute some incoherent mixture of words into sense merely by introducing the three-letter word "God" to be its grammatical subject.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/antony-flew/you-cannot-transmute-some-incoherent-mixture-of-words-into-sense/) [Antony Flew](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/antony-flew/) ## More by A.G. Riddle > [“To this day I believe a person’s ideal first job is the one that reveals the most about them. Knowing who I was helped…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/to-this-day-i-believe-a-person-s-ideal-first-job-is-the-one-that/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“We are far too uncivilized to possess the weapons we do.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/we-are-far-too-uncivilized-to-possess-the-weapons-we-do/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“THE GREATEST MYSTERY OF ALL TIME… THE HISTORY OF HUMAN ORIGINS… WILL BE REVEALED. 70,000 years ago, the human race almost went extinct. We…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/the-greatest-mystery-of-all-time-the-history-of-human-origins-will-be/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“Empower them to run their own reports.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/empower-them-to-run-their-own-reports/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“When she needed to rest, she closed her eyes, refused to let her mind think, and instead focused on her breathing. She first forced…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/when-she-needed-to-rest-she-closed-her-eyes-refused-to-let-her-mind/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“Science lacks something very important that religion provides: a moral code. Survival of the fittest is a scientific fact, but it is a cruel…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/science-lacks-something-very-important-that-religion-provides-a-moral/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“The taps mimicked the theme song to The X-Files.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/the-taps-mimicked-the-theme-song-to-the-x-files/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“The human race is the biggest mass murderer of all time. Think about it: we’re hard-coded to survive. Even our ancient ancestors were driven…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/the-human-race-is-the-biggest-mass-murderer-of-all-time-think-about/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“attended UNC-Chapel Hill, where he founded his first company with one of his childhood friends. He currently lives in Parkland, Florida and would love…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/attended-unc-chapel-hill-where-he-founded-his-first-company-with-one/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“watched Yuri’s plan unfolded”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/watched-yuri-s-plan-unfolded/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“Have faith and patience, Dr. Thomas. Time works miracles. We must have the courage to wait for them.” They”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/have-faith-and-patience-dr-thomas-time-works-miracles-we-must-have/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“The man on the other end of the satellite phone looked up when the GPS coordinates flashed on his screen. He copied the location…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/the-man-on-the-other-end-of-the-satellite-phone-looked-up-when-the/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“Lying there in silence, Elim thought about how quickly a person’s fate could change, how precious life and health are. He had walked into…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/lying-there-in-silence-elim-thought-about-how-quickly-a-person-s-fate/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“Disasters are an opportunity for the worst of humanity. And the best.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/disasters-are-an-opportunity-for-the-worst-of-humanity-and-the-best/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) > [“When others are fearful, be greedy; when others are greedy, be fearful,”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/when-others-are-fearful-be-greedy-when-others-are-greedy-be-fearful/) [A.G. Riddle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) [Explore all 101 A.G. Riddle quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/) ## More Failure quotes > [When you do things they're absolutely right at that time for you and it can always teach you something about yourself. You can take…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kym-marsh/when-you-do-things-they-re-absolutely-right-at-that-time-for-you-and/) [Kym Marsh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kym-marsh/) > [Failures happen. You can't cry over them. You just take it in your stride because you know that you have done your best... Sometimes,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/divya-dutta/failures-happen-you-can-t-cry-over-them-you-just-take-it-in-your/) [Divya Dutta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/divya-dutta/) > [No one is completely unhappy at the failure of his best friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/groucho-marx/no-one-is-completely-unhappy-at-the-failure-of-his-best-friend/) [Groucho Marx](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/groucho-marx/) > [“Rhiannon's Law #28: If you're going to fuck up, be sure to fuck up good and proper. Nothing makes failure acceptable, so you might…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/rhiannon-s-law-28-if-you-re-going-to-fuck-up-be-sure-to-fuck-up-good/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Failure is a part of life and you have to learn to deal with it. Failure is something that is part of life's cycle…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colin-powell/failure-is-a-part-of-life-and-you-have-to-learn-to-deal-with-it/) [Colin Powell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colin-powell/) > [If my child had prejudice in his head, I'd be ashamed. I would see it as my failure as a parent.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/salman-rushdie/if-my-child-had-prejudice-in-his-head-i-d-be-ashamed-i-would-see-it/) [Salman Rushdie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/salman-rushdie/) > [First action was a mistake. What about the second? third? fourth and fifth?...Mehn you are bad...](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/first-action-was-a-mistake-what-about-the-second-third-fourth-and/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [God's love never fail :)](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/god-s-love-never-fail/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Don’t you just hate nights like that, when you think over every mistake you’ve made, every hurt you’ve received, every bit of meanness you’ve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlaine-harris/don-t-you-just-hate-nights-like-that-when-you-think-over-every/) [Charlaine Harris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlaine-harris/) > [“Our failure to understand another being's inner reality doesn't make that reality any less real, or any less valuable to that being. (p.255)”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kathryn-schulz/our-failure-to-understand-another-being-s-inner-reality-doesn-t-make/) [Kathryn Schulz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kathryn-schulz/) > [I hope that the Palestinians don't make the mistake of unleashing a new intifada. They've tried it twice before, and the consequences were bad…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tom-segev/i-hope-that-the-palestinians-don-t-make-the-mistake-of-unleashing-a/) [Tom Segev](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tom-segev/) > [Don't take too much comfort in the fact that you're successful today because tomorrow could bring failure. There's no surety in life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-savage/don-t-take-too-much-comfort-in-the-fact-that-you-re-successful-today/) [Michael Savage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-savage/) > [“It took me years to learn to sit at my desk for more than two minutes at a time, to put up with the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-jong/it-took-me-years-to-learn-to-sit-at-my-desk-for-more-than-two-minutes/) [Erica Jong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-jong/) > [failure in the theater is more public, more brilliant, more unreal than in any other field.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lillian-hellman/failure-in-the-theater-is-more-public-more-brilliant-more-unreal-than/) [Lillian Hellman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lillian-hellman/) > [As we are coming to the end of the year, I want you to forget about the past, the failure, the negative thoughts or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/as-we-are-coming-to-the-end-of-the-year-i-want-you-to-forget-about/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) [Browse all 27,498 Failure quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/failure/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“People who flew too high—who lived beyond their means and ability—were bound for failure. As were those who never took a chance. Despite”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "A.G. Riddle" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyond-their-means-and-ability/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Failure" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyond-their-means-and-ability/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ce/a-g-riddle-5016_failure_people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyon_469452.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ce/a-g-riddle-5016_failure_people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyon_469452.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/2ce/a-g-riddle-5016_failure_people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyon_469452.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“People who flew too high—who lived beyond their means and ability—were bound for failure. As were those who…” — A.G. Riddle", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "A.G. Riddle", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-g-riddle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“People who flew too high—who lived...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyond-their-means-and-ability/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-g-riddle/people-who-flew-too-high-who-lived-beyond-their-means-and-ability/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```