---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: It's time to climb off our high horses…"
description: "\"“It's time to climb off our high horses and step into the shit.”\" — Brian K. Vaughan"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/brian-k-vaughan-2421_climb_it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-a_2781584.png"
---

#  It's time to climb off our high horses and step into the…

![“It's time to climb off our high horses and step into the shit.” quote by Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/brian-k-vaughan-2421_climb_it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-a_2781584.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/brian-k-vaughan-2421_climb_it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-a_2781584.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/brian-k-vaughan-2421_climb_it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-a_2781584.png)

> ““It's time to climb off our high horses and step into the shit.””

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Calls for humility, urging people to abandon arrogance and confront reality directly.

**In simple terms:** Step down from arrogance.

Key Takeaway

Practice humility and face reality.

Themes

humility self‑awareness social responsibility authenticity

Mood

direct challenging

Type

advice philosophical

When to use this quote

- conflict resolution
- personal growth
- team dynamics

Key Concepts

philosophy psychology leadership

Questions to Reflect On

- How can you recognize your own arrogance?
- What steps lead to humility?

A Different Perspective

May be too abrupt for some audiences.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Climb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climb/) [Climb High](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climb-high-1019874/) [High horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-horse/) [High Horses](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/high-horses-3313787/) [Horses Step](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horses-step-3313788/) [Self righteous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-righteous/) [Self righteousness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/self-righteousness/) [Step Shit](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/step-shit-3313786/) [Time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/time/)

## Related quotes

> [“You need to get down because this place isn’t accessible for high horses”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christy-leigh-stewart/you-need-to-get-down-because-this-place-isn-t-accessible-for-high/)

[Christy Leigh Stewart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christy-leigh-stewart/)

> [“People of small caliber like to sit on high horses.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/magdalena-samozwaniec/people-of-small-caliber-like-to-sit-on-high-horses/)

[Magdalena Samozwaniec](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/magdalena-samozwaniec/)

> [What a way to start of the day. Not only did I step in shit, but then I somehow managed to hit myself in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/candace-bailey/what-a-way-to-start-of-the-day-not-only-did-i-step-in-shit-but-then-i/)

[Candace Bailey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/candace-bailey/)

> [“There are assholes among us, good people, try not to step in their shit...it's deep”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emma-paul/there-are-assholes-among-us-good-people-try-not-to-step-in-their-shit/)

[Emma Paul](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emma-paul/)

> [Follow in the footsteps of your fathers' virtue! How could you hope to climb high unless your fathers' will climbs with you?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/friedrich-nietzsche/follow-in-the-footsteps-of-your-fathers-virtue-how-could-you-hope-to/)

[Friedrich Nietzsche](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/friedrich-nietzsche/)

> [You can climb too high for your own good. Linger too long at high altitudes and your hearing dulls and your eyesight dims.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-lucado/you-can-climb-too-high-for-your-own-good-linger-too-long-at-high/)

[Max Lucado](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-lucado/)

> [You know what I'd really like to do the most right now? Climb up to the top of some high place like the pyramids.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/haruki-murakami/you-know-what-i-d-really-like-to-do-the-most-right-now-climb-up-to/)

[Haruki Murakami](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/haruki-murakami/)

> [“climb high, sleep low”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roland-smith/climb-high-sleep-low/)

[Roland Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roland-smith/)

> [“Can you climb high enough to get above the clouds, look down on the rain from a place in the sun?”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ally-condie/can-you-climb-high-enough-to-get-above-the-clouds-look-down-on-the/)

[Ally Condie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ally-condie/)

> [When I was a kid I used to tell myself the moon was a silver gong and if I could climb high enough to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-dos-passos/when-i-was-a-kid-i-used-to-tell-myself-the-moon-was-a-silver-gong-and/)

[John Dos Passos](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-dos-passos/)

> [“The ladder of success is there waiting for you... you just have to realize it and reach towards and climb as high as you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/noor-ahmad/the-ladder-of-success-is-there-waiting-for-you-you-just-have-to/)

[Noor Ahmad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/noor-ahmad/)

> [Personally, I would rather climb in the high mountains. I have always abhorred the tremendous heat, the dirt-filled cracks, the ant-covered foul-smelling trees and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yvon-chouinard/personally-i-would-rather-climb-in-the-high-mountains-i-have-always/)

[Yvon Chouinard](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yvon-chouinard/)

> [If we climb this high I swear we'll never die.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/if-we-climb-this-high-i-swear-we-ll-never-die/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [The ambitious climb high and perilous stairs, and never care how to come down; the desire of rising hath swallowed up their fear of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-adams/the-ambitious-climb-high-and-perilous-stairs-and-never-care-how-to/)

[Thomas Adams](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-adams/)

> [Not to climb the high places lonely, but to climb there all together, to rise en masse! This is the way!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/not-to-climb-the-high-places-lonely-but-to-climb-there-all-together/)

[Mehmet Murat Ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/)

## More by Brian K. Vaughan

> [“By the time they're out of preschool, most children have already seen thousands of acts of violence.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/by-the-time-they-re-out-of-preschool-most-children-have-already-seen/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I'm really happiest living life 22 pages at a time and putting things in little boxes on pages.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-m-really-happiest-living-life-22-pages-at-a-time-and-putting-things/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [You'd never be able to convince someone to give you money to do a bilingual story where you're not translating half of it -…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/you-d-never-be-able-to-convince-someone-to-give-you-money-to-do-a/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“I´ve held you in my heart since the day you left me. But you´re too heavy to carry another step. And I need to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-ve-held-you-in-my-heart-since-the-day-you-left-me-but-you-re-too/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [Every issue, the characters and I duke it out. They usually win.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/every-issue-the-characters-and-i-duke-it-out-they-usually-win/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [ I love that the book \[Paper Girls \] gets to kind of evolve and change in each era. Our third storyline is our best… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-love-that-the-book-paper-girls-gets-to-kind-of-evolve-and-change-in/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I know I'm a grumpy old man, but I'm always more delighted by readers talking about the actual comics than people talking about how…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-know-i-m-a-grumpy-old-man-but-i-m-always-more-delighted-by-readers/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I'm still digesting the '90s. It takes some time to get perspective.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-m-still-digesting-the-90s-it-takes-some-time-to-get-perspective/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“Ask a child's guardians what it takes to be good at their jobs, and most will answer with a single word... SACRIFICE. Parents give…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/ask-a-child-s-guardians-what-it-takes-to-be-good-at-their-jobs-and/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [I think some people are just very passionate that things remain the way they were when they were kids.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/i-think-some-people-are-just-very-passionate-that-things-remain-the/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“Fuck the Bureau! Their entire outfit is half the size of the NYPD. I've got more officers who speak Arabic in one precinct that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/fuck-the-bureau-their-entire-outfit-is-half-the-size-of-the-nypd-i-ve/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [In film, you have the luxury of accomplishing what you need in 24 frames every second. Comics, you only have five or six panels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/in-film-you-have-the-luxury-of-accomplishing-what-you-need-in-24/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [“Sooner or later, every last echo fades. Even the loudest thunder in the deepest valley.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/sooner-or-later-every-last-echo-fades-even-the-loudest-thunder-in-the/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [There's just something about that late '80s that suddenly feels like it has something to teach us.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/there-s-just-something-about-that-late-80s-that-suddenly-feels-like/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

> [Fans of my books have just been supremely nice.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/fans-of-my-books-have-just-been-supremely-nice/)

[Brian K. Vaughan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

[Explore all 166 Brian K. Vaughan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/)

## More Climb quotes

> [Normally, it's more efficient to climb fast.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-ondra/normally-it-s-more-efficient-to-climb-fast/)

[Adam Ondra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-ondra/)

> [Our ape legs make us great generalists - we can walk, run and climb. But when you try to do too many things at…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alice-roberts/our-ape-legs-make-us-great-generalists-we-can-walk-run-and-climb-but/)

[Alice Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alice-roberts/)

> [“Climb aboard, Jonesy. I'm going to send you up where the air is rare and the view is much more than fair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-king/climb-aboard-jonesy-i-m-going-to-send-you-up-where-the-air-is-rare/)

[Stephen King](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-king/)

> [Sometimes you climb the mountain, and you fall and fail. Maybe there is a different path that will take you up. Sometimes a different…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/caterina-fake/sometimes-you-climb-the-mountain-and-you-fall-and-fail-maybe-there-is/)

[Caterina Fake](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/caterina-fake/)

> [The bumps are what you climb on.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/warren-w-wiersbe/the-bumps-are-what-you-climb-on/)

[Warren W. Wiersbe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/warren-w-wiersbe/)

> [Life is a climb and it's a struggle getting to the top but the drop to the bottom can be quick and so I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/miley-cyrus/life-is-a-climb-and-it-s-a-struggle-getting-to-the-top-but-the-drop/)

[Miley Cyrus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/miley-cyrus/)

> [Some day I'm going to climb Everest.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmund-hillary/some-day-i-m-going-to-climb-everest/)

[Edmund Hillary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmund-hillary/)

> [A part of me will always be unflyable, stuck in the climb.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elizabeth-wein/a-part-of-me-will-always-be-unflyable-stuck-in-the-climb/)

[Elizabeth Wein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/elizabeth-wein/)

> [Face your fears or they will climb over your back.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-herbert/face-your-fears-or-they-will-climb-over-your-back/)

[Frank Herbert](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-herbert/)

> [It is sometimes a mistake to climb. It is always a mistake never even to make the attempt.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-is-sometimes-a-mistake-to-climb-it-is-always-a-mistake-never-even/)

[Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/)

> [You have to climb a mountain before you can enjoy the view.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/you-have-to-climb-a-mountain-before-you-can-enjoy-the-view/)

[Ritu Ghatourey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ritu-ghatourey/)

> [“Where I'm is one of those stair climbing machines the agent has installed. You climb and climb forever and never get off the ground.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chuck-palahniuk/where-i-m-is-one-of-those-stair-climbing-machines-the-agent-has/)

[Chuck Palahniuk](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chuck-palahniuk/)

> [“There are points in your life where you find yourself going nowhere reaching nowhere, standing nowhere. You feel yourself a mess occupied in nothing…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aquib-ali/there-are-points-in-your-life-where-you-find-yourself-going-nowhere/)

[Aquib Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aquib-ali/)

> [“Don't be afraid to start at the bottom of the ladder. And have the courage to climb to the top.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/levi-hr-rosenthal/don-t-be-afraid-to-start-at-the-bottom-of-the-ladder-and-have-the/)

[Levi HR Rosenthal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/levi-hr-rosenthal/)

> [Dude, I just watched you climb up a f\*cking building!-Lace](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/scott-westerfeld/dude-i-just-watched-you-climb-up-a-f-cking-building-lace/)

[Scott Westerfeld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/scott-westerfeld/)

[Browse all 797 Climb quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/climb/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "“It's time to climb off our high horses and step into the shit.”",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Brian K. Vaughan"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-and-step-into-the-shit/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Climb"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-and-step-into-the-shit/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/brian-k-vaughan-2421_climb_it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-a_2781584.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/brian-k-vaughan-2421_climb_it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-a_2781584.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/559/brian-k-vaughan-2421_climb_it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-a_2781584.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“It's time to climb off our high horses and step into the shit.” — Brian K. Vaughan",
                "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": "Brian K. Vaughan",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brian-k-vaughan/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "“It's time to climb off our...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-and-step-into-the-shit/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brian-k-vaughan/it-s-time-to-climb-off-our-high-horses-and-step-into-the-shit/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
