---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Whatever a man imagines he can attain, if…"
description: "\"Whatever a man imagines he can attain, if he doesn't become too arrogant and encroach on the rights of the gods.\" — Charles Lindbergh"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/charles-lindbergh-2267_arrogant_whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if_1927234.png"
---

#  Whatever a man imagines he can attain, if he doesn't…

![“Whatever a man imagines he can attain, if he doesn't become too arrogant and encroach on the rights of the gods.” quote by Charles Lindbergh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/charles-lindbergh-2267_arrogant_whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if_1927234.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/charles-lindbergh-2267_arrogant_whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if_1927234.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/charles-lindbergh-2267_arrogant_whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if_1927234.png)

> “Whatever a man imagines he can attain, if he doesn't become too arrogant and encroach on the rights of the gods.”

[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.

Imagining possibilities fuels achievement, but humility and respect for larger forces are essential.

**In simple terms:** Dream big, stay humble.

Key Takeaway

Balance ambition with humility.

Themes

ambition humility responsibility

Mood

inspirational cautious

Type

philosophical motivational

When to use this quote

- entrepreneurship
- scientific research
- political power
- personal goals

Key Concepts

ethical limits self‑awareness

Questions to Reflect On

- What limits should you set?
- How do you respect others' rights?

A Different Perspective

Overconfidence can blind ethical considerations.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Arrogant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant/) [Arrogant Encroach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant-encroach-2994610/) [Doesn Arrogant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doesn-arrogant-2994611/) [God](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god/) [Ifs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ifs/) [Imagine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/imagine/) [Man Imagines](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-imagines-373370/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Rights](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights/) [Rights Gods](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/rights-gods-2994609/)

## Related quotes

> [When a man imagines, even after years of striving, that he has attained perfection, his decline begins.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/theodore-martin/when-a-man-imagines-even-after-years-of-striving-that-he-has-attained/)

[Theodore Martin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/theodore-martin/)

> [A man imagines a happy marriage as a marriage of love; even if he makes fun of marriages that are without love, or feels…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gilbert-k-chesterton/a-man-imagines-a-happy-marriage-as-a-marriage-of-love-even-if-he/)

[Gilbert K. Chesterton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gilbert-k-chesterton/)

> [A man often imagines that he acts, when he is acted upon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/a-man-often-imagines-that-he-acts-when-he-is-acted-upon/)

[Francois de La Rochefoucauld](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/francois-de-la-rochefoucauld/)

> [A man who imagines that because he has a head full of knowledge that he is sufficient for these things had better start learning…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/a-man-who-imagines-that-because-he-has-a-head-full-of-knowledge-that/)

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

> [“I could never keep anybody for long. And that's because I'm the type which every man imagines he wants, until he gets me; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-isherwood/i-could-never-keep-anybody-for-long-and-that-s-because-i-m-the-type/)

[Christopher Isherwood](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/christopher-isherwood/)

> [Sometimes a man imagines that he will lose himself if he gives himself, and keep himself if he hides himself. But the contrary takes…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ernest-hello/sometimes-a-man-imagines-that-he-will-lose-himself-if-he-gives/)

[Ernest Hello](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ernest-hello/)

> [“There is the image of the man who imagines himself to be a prisoner in a cell. He stands at one end of this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-b-kopp/there-is-the-image-of-the-man-who-imagines-himself-to-be-a-prisoner/)

[Sheldon B. Kopp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-b-kopp/)

> [“century: “As man imagines himself to be, so shall he be, and he is that which he imagines.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sidney-rosen/century-as-man-imagines-himself-to-be-so-shall-he-be-and-he-is-that/)

[Sidney Rosen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sidney-rosen/)

> [So long as a man imagines that he cannot do this or that, so long as he is determined not to do it; and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/baruch-spinoza/so-long-as-a-man-imagines-that-he-cannot-do-this-or-that-so-long-as/)

[Baruch Spinoza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/baruch-spinoza/)

> [A man always imagines a woman to be ready for anybody who asks her.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jane-austen/a-man-always-imagines-a-woman-to-be-ready-for-anybody-who-asks-her/)

[Jane Austen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jane-austen/)

> [“And just as in life, if a man imagines himself on his deathbed and then works back through the years of his life, he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adriana-trigiani/and-just-as-in-life-if-a-man-imagines-himself-on-his-deathbed-and/)

[Adriana Trigiani](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adriana-trigiani/)

> [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [What I would say to filmmakers, if I may be so bold or so arrogant, is to draw inspiration from other filmmakers, but go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/what-i-would-say-to-filmmakers-if-i-may-be-so-bold-or-so-arrogant-is/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [ \[T\]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-after-year-a-symbol-of/)

[Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/)

> [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/)

[Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/)

## 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 Arrogant quotes

> [How arrogant - how very far from humility - would be the self-satisfied, smug assurance that God, a tidy-up-after-us God will come and clean…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheldon-whitehouse/how-arrogant-how-very-far-from-humility-would-be-the-self-satisfied/)

[Sheldon Whitehouse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheldon-whitehouse/)

> [ \[T\]he tax code has been piling up, year after year, a symbol of everything gone wrong in America, of arrogant rulers and lost freedom,… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dick-armey/t-he-tax-code-has-been-piling-up-year-after-year-a-symbol-of/)

[Dick Armey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dick-armey/)

> [What I would say to filmmakers, if I may be so bold or so arrogant, is to draw inspiration from other filmmakers, but go…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lawrence-bender/what-i-would-say-to-filmmakers-if-i-may-be-so-bold-or-so-arrogant-is/)

[Lawrence Bender](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lawrence-bender/)

> [In politics we face the choice between warmongering, nation-state loving, big-business agents on one hand; and risk-blind, top-down, epistemic arrogant big servants of large…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nassim-nicholas-taleb/in-politics-we-face-the-choice-between-warmongering-nation-state/)

[Nassim Nicholas Taleb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nassim-nicholas-taleb/)

> [I absolutely hate arrogant people, irks me to no end.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/i-absolutely-hate-arrogant-people-irks-me-to-no-end/)

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

> [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/)

> [Mourinho is a bit arrogant, but you've got to like him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steve-nicol/mourinho-is-a-bit-arrogant-but-you-ve-got-to-like-him/)

[Steve Nicol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steve-nicol/)

> [Some say work smarter, not harder, but the wisest are both. Whether you're more of a hard worker or a smart worker, if you're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/colby-tatem/some-say-work-smarter-not-harder-but-the-wisest-are-both-whether-you/)

[Colby Tatem](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/colby-tatem/)

> [I was spoiled and I was arrogant. I was very demanding, had an overblown image of who I was and got a reputation for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judge-reinhold/i-was-spoiled-and-i-was-arrogant-i-was-very-demanding-had-an/)

[Judge Reinhold](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judge-reinhold/)

> [We are not being arrogant or complacent when we are said that our country, as a united nation, has never in its entire history,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thabo-mbeki/we-are-not-being-arrogant-or-complacent-when-we-are-said-that-our/)

[Thabo Mbeki](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thabo-mbeki/)

> [“So you intend to go through life never loving anyone? Just … things?” “No. I’m looking for something more.” “More than love?” “Yes.” “Is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/renee-ahdieh/so-you-intend-to-go-through-life-never-loving-anyone-just-things-no-i/)

[Renee Ahdieh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/renee-ahdieh/)

> [People are tired of wasteful government programs and welfare chiselers, and they are angry about the constant spiral of taxes and government regulations, arrogant…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ronald-reagan/people-are-tired-of-wasteful-government-programs-and-welfare/)

[Ronald Reagan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ronald-reagan/)

> [“He was a man. Handsome as sin, arrogant as fuck, and in need of at least one woman to prove he wasn’t God’s gift…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-blue/he-was-a-man-handsome-as-sin-arrogant-as-fuck-and-in-need-of-at-least/)

[Melissa Blue](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-blue/)

> [Being nice to people gets you nowhere. Being arrogant gets you nowhere. Blackmail, now that's a thing that will get you everywhere.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/being-nice-to-people-gets-you-nowhere-being-arrogant-gets-you-nowhere/)

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

> [It's amusing how arrogant people can be.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/it-s-amusing-how-arrogant-people-can-be/)

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

[Browse all 1,146 Arrogant quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/arrogant/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Whatever a man imagines he can attain, if he doesn't become too arrogant and encroach on the rights of the gods.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Charles Lindbergh"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if-he-doesn-t-become-too/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Arrogant"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if-he-doesn-t-become-too/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/charles-lindbergh-2267_arrogant_whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if_1927234.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/charles-lindbergh-2267_arrogant_whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if_1927234.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/d5b/charles-lindbergh-2267_arrogant_whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if_1927234.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Whatever a man imagines he can attain, if he doesn't become too arrogant and encroach on the rights of the…” — 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": "Whatever a man imagines he can...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if-he-doesn-t-become-too/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lindbergh/whatever-a-man-imagines-he-can-attain-if-he-doesn-t-become-too/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
