--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I decided that if I could fly for ten…" description: "\"I decided that if I could fly for ten years before I was killed in a crash, it would be a worthwhile trade for an ordinary life time.\" — Charles Lindbergh" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/charles-lindbergh-2267_aviation_i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-ye_1791831.png" --- # I decided that if I could fly for ten years before I was… ![“I decided that if I could fly for ten years before I was killed in a crash, it would be a worthwhile trade for an ordinary life time.” quote by Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/charles-lindbergh-2267_aviation_i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-ye_1791831.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/charles-lindbergh-2267_aviation_i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-ye_1791831.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/charles-lindbergh-2267_aviation_i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-ye_1791831.png) > “I decided that if I could fly for ten years before I was killed in a crash, it would be a worthwhile trade for an ordinary life time.” [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He weighs a high‑risk, adventurous life against a conventional, safe existence, finding the former more meaningful. **In simple terms:** Risky adventure can be more rewarding than ordinary life. Key Takeaway Consider embracing bold experiences. Themes risk adventure life choices Mood reflective determined Type philosophical inspirational When to use this quote - career - personal growth - exploration Key Concepts existentialism heroism self‑actualization Questions to Reflect On - What risks would you take for meaning? - Is safety worth sacrificing passion? A Different Perspective Ordinary life may feel safe but can feel unfulfilling. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aviation/) [Aviator](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aviator/) [Flying](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/flying/) [Great aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/great-aviation/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Life & time](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life-time-2/) [Ordinary life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-life/) [Plane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/plane/) [Trade](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trade/) [Worthwhile](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/worthwhile/) ## Related quotes > [I began to feel that I lived on a higher plane than the skeptics of the ground; one that was richer because of its…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/i-began-to-feel-that-i-lived-on-a-higher-plane-than-the-skeptics-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could you ask of life?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/science-freedom-beauty-adventure-what-more-could-you-ask-of-life-2/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Science, freedom, beauty, adventure: what more could you ask of life? Aviation combined all the elements I loved. There was science in each curve…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/science-freedom-beauty-adventure-what-more-could-you-ask-of-life/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [But accuracy means something to me. It's vital to my sense of values. I've learned not to trust people who are inaccurate. Every aviator…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/but-accuracy-means-something-to-me-it-s-vital-to-my-sense-of-values-i/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I decided to fly through the air and live in the sunlight and enjoy life as much as I could.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/evel-knievel/i-decided-to-fly-through-the-air-and-live-in-the-sunlight-and-enjoy/) [Evel Knievel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/evel-knievel/) > [I think there is something exhilarating in flying amongst clouds, and always get a feeling of wanting to pit my aeroplane against them, charge…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-rumney-samson/i-think-there-is-something-exhilarating-in-flying-amongst-clouds-and/) Charles Rumney Samson > [And let's get one thing straight. There's a big difference between a pilot and an aviator. One is a technician; the other is an…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/elrey-borge-jeppesen/and-let-s-get-one-thing-straight-there-s-a-big-difference-between-a/) Elrey Borge Jeppesen > [A single lifetime, even though entirely devoted to the sky, would not be enough for the study of so vast a subject. A time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seneca-the-younger/a-single-lifetime-even-though-entirely-devoted-to-the-sky-would-not/) [Seneca the Younger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seneca-the-younger/) > [This thing we call luck is merely professionalism and attention to detail, it's your awareness of everything that is going on around you, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-coonts/this-thing-we-call-luck-is-merely-professionalism-and-attention-to/) [Stephen Coonts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-coonts/) > [I don't think I possess any skill that anyone else doesn't have. I've just had perhaps more of an opportunity, more of an exposure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hoover/i-don-t-think-i-possess-any-skill-that-anyone-else-doesn-t-have-i-ve/) [Bob Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hoover/) > [Any idiot can get an airplane off the ground, but an aviator earns his keep by bringing it back anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-cunningham/any-idiot-can-get-an-airplane-off-the-ground-but-an-aviator-earns-his/) [Walter Cunningham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-cunningham/) > [Nobody who has not been up in the sky on a glorious morning can possibly imagine the way a pilot feels in free heaven.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/william-t-piper/nobody-who-has-not-been-up-in-the-sky-on-a-glorious-morning-can/) William T. Piper > [Flying without feathers is not easy; my wings have no feathers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/plautus/flying-without-feathers-is-not-easy-my-wings-have-no-feathers/) [Plautus](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/plautus/) > [It is hard enough for anyone to map out a course of action and stick to it, particularly in the face of the desires…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/glenn-curtiss/it-is-hard-enough-for-anyone-to-map-out-a-course-of-action-and-stick/) Glenn Curtiss > [I don't think I possess any skill that anyone else doesn't have. I've just had perhaps more of an opportunity, more of an exposure,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bob-hoover/i-don-t-think-i-possess-any-skill-that-anyone-else-doesn-t-have-i-ve-2/) [Bob Hoover](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bob-hoover/) ## More by Charles Lindbergh > [Shut your eyes and you will know what I mean by thought entombed in darkness. Light comes through the senses, and not only through…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/shut-your-eyes-and-you-will-know-what-i-mean-by-thought-entombed-in/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [If I were entering adulthood now instead of in the environment of fifty years ago, I would choose a career that kept me in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/if-i-were-entering-adulthood-now-instead-of-in-the-environment-of/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Why should anyone think a white skin superior in evaluating the qualities of human life? I did not really admire a white skin so…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/why-should-anyone-think-a-white-skin-superior-in-evaluating-the/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [True, the fragile bodies of his fellows do not weigh down his plane; true, the fretful minds of weaker men are missing from his…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/true-the-fragile-bodies-of-his-fellows-do-not-weigh-down-his-plane/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Air power is new to all our countries. It brings advantages to some and weakens others; it calls for readjustment everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/air-power-is-new-to-all-our-countries-it-brings-advantages-to-some/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Consciousness grows independent of the ordinary senses.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/consciousness-grows-independent-of-the-ordinary-senses/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Instead of agitating for war, the Jewish groups in this country should be opposing it in every possible way, for they will be among…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/instead-of-agitating-for-war-the-jewish-groups-in-this-country-should/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [When I watch species other than my own, their instinct's wisdom is what most impresses and disturbs me.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/when-i-watch-species-other-than-my-own-their-instinct-s-wisdom-is/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [My aging body transmits an ageless life stream. Molecular and atomic replacement change life's composition. Molecules take part in structure and in training, countless…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/my-aging-body-transmits-an-ageless-life-stream-molecular-and-atomic/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [We are all consumers and should all be producers.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/we-are-all-consumers-and-should-all-be-producers/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [At the end of the first half-century of engine-driven flight, we are confronted with the stark fact that the historical significance of aircraft has…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/at-the-end-of-the-first-half-century-of-engine-driven-flight-we-are/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Under the federal reserve act, panics are scientifically created. The present panic is the first scientifically created one, worked out as we figured, a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/under-the-federal-reserve-act-panics-are-scientifically-created-the/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [I'm not bound to be in aviation at all. I'm here only because I love the sky and flying more than anything else on…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/i-m-not-bound-to-be-in-aviation-at-all-i-m-here-only-because-i-love/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [Man is a mixture of desires that extend beyond his knowledge and often result in action conflicting with rationality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/man-is-a-mixture-of-desires-that-extend-beyond-his-knowledge-and/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) > [The Jews are one of the principle forces attempting to lead the U.S. into the war. The Jews greatest danger to this country lies…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/the-jews-are-one-of-the-principle-forces-attempting-to-lead-the-u-s/) [Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) [Explore all 175 Charles Lindbergh quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/) ## More Aviation quotes > [There is something more important than any ultimate weapon. That is the ultimate position-the position of total control over Earth that lies somewhere out…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lyndon-b-johnson/there-is-something-more-important-than-any-ultimate-weapon-that-is/) [Lyndon B. Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lyndon-b-johnson/) > [I have lifted my plane . . . for perhaps a thousand flights and I have never felt her wheels glide from the Earth…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/beryl-markham/i-have-lifted-my-plane-for-perhaps-a-thousand-flights-and-i-have/) [Beryl Markham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/beryl-markham/) > [I'm getting housemaid's knee kneeling here gulping beauty.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amelia-earhart/i-m-getting-housemaid-s-knee-kneeling-here-gulping-beauty/) [Amelia Earhart](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amelia-earhart/) > [I am alive. Up here with the song of the engine and the air whispering on my face as the sunlight and shadows play…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-coonts/i-am-alive-up-here-with-the-song-of-the-engine-and-the-air-whispering/) [Stephen Coonts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-coonts/) > [A thing of orchestrated hell-a terrible symphony of light and flame.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/a-thing-of-orchestrated-hell-a-terrible-symphony-of-light-and-flame/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) > [Splutter, splutter. Yes - we're off - we're rising. But why start off with an engine like that? But it smooths out now, like…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anne-morrow-lindbergh/splutter-splutter-yes-we-re-off-we-re-rising-but-why-start-off-with/) [Anne Morrow Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anne-morrow-lindbergh/) > [If the Wright brother were alive today Wilbur would have to fire Orville to reduce costs.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herb-kelleher/if-the-wright-brother-were-alive-today-wilbur-would-have-to-fire/) [Herb Kelleher](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herb-kelleher/) > [Aviators live by hours, not by days.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/t-h-white-2/aviators-live-by-hours-not-by-days/) [T. H. White](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/t-h-white-2/) > [This strongly asserted but ill-defined license to kill without accountability is not an entitlement which the United States or other states can have without…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-alston/this-strongly-asserted-but-ill-defined-license-to-kill-without/) Philip Alston > [Every flyer who ventures across oceans to distant lands is a potential explorer; in his or her breast burns the same fire that urged…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-batten/every-flyer-who-ventures-across-oceans-to-distant-lands-is-a/) Jean Batten > [When you get to know me, I don't despair - I just get up, clean up, and start again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/avi-arad/when-you-get-to-know-me-i-don-t-despair-i-just-get-up-clean-up-and/) [Avi Arad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/avi-arad/) > [Be Luke Skywalker, not Darth Vader. Ultimately love is stronger than evil.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/don-burr/be-luke-skywalker-not-darth-vader-ultimately-love-is-stronger-than/) Don Burr > [Had I been a man I might have explored the Poles or climbed Mount Everest, but as it was my spirit found outlet in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amy-johnson/had-i-been-a-man-i-might-have-explored-the-poles-or-climbed-mount/) [Amy Johnson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/amy-johnson/) > [As a fighter pilot I know from my own experiences how decisive surprise and luck can be for success, which in the long run…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adolf-galland/as-a-fighter-pilot-i-know-from-my-own-experiences-how-decisive/) [Adolf Galland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adolf-galland/) > [The way I see it, you can either work for a living or you can fly airplanes. Me, I'd rather fly.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/len-morgan/the-way-i-see-it-you-can-either-work-for-a-living-or-you-can-fly/) Len Morgan [Browse all 977 Aviation quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aviation/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I decided that if I could fly for ten years before I was killed in a crash, it would be a worthwhile trade for an ordinary life time.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Charles Lindbergh" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-years-before-i-was-killed-in-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Aviation" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-years-before-i-was-killed-in-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/charles-lindbergh-2267_aviation_i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-ye_1791831.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/charles-lindbergh-2267_aviation_i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-ye_1791831.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/8b9/charles-lindbergh-2267_aviation_i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-ye_1791831.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I decided that if I could fly for ten years before I was killed in a crash, it would be a worthwhile trade…” — Charles Lindbergh", "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": "Charles Lindbergh", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lindbergh/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I decided that if I could...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-years-before-i-was-killed-in-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/i-decided-that-if-i-could-fly-for-ten-years-before-i-was-killed-in-a/#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 } } ] } ```