---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Without my airplane I am an ordinary man…"
description: "\"Without my airplane I am an ordinary man, and a useless one - a trainer without a horse, a sculptor without marble, a priest without a god. Without an ..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/richard-bach-424_airplane_without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man_1149540.png"
---

#  Without my airplane I am an ordinary man, and a useless…

![“Without my airplane I am an ordinary man, and a useless one - a trainer without a horse, a sculptor without marble, a priest without a god. Without an airplane I am a lonely consumer of hamburgers...” quote by Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/richard-bach-424_airplane_without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man_1149540.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/richard-bach-424_airplane_without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man_1149540.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/richard-bach-424_airplane_without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man_1149540.png)

> “Without my airplane I am an ordinary man, and a useless one - a trainer without a horse, a sculptor without marble, a priest without a god. Without an airplane I am a lonely consumer of hamburgers...”

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

## About This Quote

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

The narrator feels meaningless without his passion, likening it to a craftsman lacking tools.

**In simple terms:** Passion gives purpose; without it, life feels empty.

Key Takeaway

Cultivate and protect your passions.

Themes

purpose identity creativity

Mood

reflective melancholic

Type

philosophical inspirational

When to use this quote

- career choices
- artistic pursuits
- spiritual practice
- hobby development

Key Concepts

existentialism self-actualization

Questions to Reflect On

- What fuels your personal sense of purpose?
- How can you integrate passion into daily life?

A Different Perspective

Passion alone may not guarantee fulfillment.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Airplane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplane/) [Airplane Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplane-lonely-3242581/) [Airplane Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplane-ordinary-3242582/) [Aviation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/aviation/) [Consumers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/consumers/) [God Airplane](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/god-airplane-3242583/) [Hamburgers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/hamburgers/) [Horse](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/horse/) [Lonely](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/lonely/) [Man Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/man-useless-311906/) [Marble](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marble/) [Men](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/men/) [Ordinary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary/) [Ordinary man](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/ordinary-man/) [Priests](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/priests/) [Sculptors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sculptors/) [Trainers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trainers/) [Useless](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/useless/)

## Related quotes

> [No man is useless while he has a friend.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-louis-stevenson/no-man-is-useless-while-he-has-a-friend/)

[Robert Louis Stevenson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-louis-stevenson/)

> [The man is as useless as nipples on a breastplate.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/the-man-is-as-useless-as-nipples-on-a-breastplate/)

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

> [The life of an uneducated man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end, nor protects it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/chanakya/the-life-of-an-uneducated-man-is-as-useless-as-the-tail-of-a-dog/)

[Chanakya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/chanakya/)

> [“It is possible for God to live in a man and for the man to still be useless.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sunday-adelaja/it-is-possible-for-god-to-live-in-a-man-and-for-the-man-to-still-be/)

[Sunday Adelaja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sunday-adelaja/)

> [The Arts are man's most useless ... and essential ... activity.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eug-ne-ionesco/the-arts-are-man-s-most-useless-and-essential-activity/)

[Eugene Ionesco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eug-ne-ionesco/)

> [The man was useless as tits on a bull, but he didn't deserve to die like that.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nora-roberts/the-man-was-useless-as-tits-on-a-bull-but-he-didn-t-deserve-to-die/)

[Nora Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nora-roberts/)

> [“If it is characteristic of the wise man to do nothing useless, no one will surpass me in wisdom: I do not even lower…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/emil-m-cioran/if-it-is-characteristic-of-the-wise-man-to-do-nothing-useless-no-one/)

[Emil M. Cioran](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/emil-m-cioran/)

> [The merely well-informed man is the most useless bore on God's earth.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alfred-north-whitehead/the-merely-well-informed-man-is-the-most-useless-bore-on-god-s-earth/)

[Alfred North Whitehead](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alfred-north-whitehead/)

> [L'homme est une passion inutile. Man is a useless passion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-paul-sartre/l-homme-est-une-passion-inutile-man-is-a-useless-passion/)

[Jean-Paul Sartre](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-paul-sartre/)

> [The life of an ignorant man is as useless as the tail of a dog which neither covers its rear end, nor protects it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ritu-ghatourey/the-life-of-an-ignorant-man-is-as-useless-as-the-tail-of-a-dog-which/)

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

> [“Socrates: Have you noticed on our journey how often the citizens of this new land remind each other it is a free country? Plato:…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/socrates-have-you-noticed-on-our-journey-how-often-the-citizens-of/)

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

> [“The flesh is the clay of the gods. Only the chosen can be sculptors.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-west/the-flesh-is-the-clay-of-the-gods-only-the-chosen-can-be-sculptors/)

[Michael West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-west/)

> [I mopped the floor with my hairThe reason I’m so interested in taking my body to those extreme places is that that’s a place…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/janine-antoni/i-mopped-the-floor-with-my-hairthe-reason-i-m-so-interested-in-taking/)

[Janine Antoni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/janine-antoni/)

> [I don't want you to praise me...Some praise me because I am a colored girl, and I don't want that kind of praise. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edmonia-lewis/i-don-t-want-you-to-praise-me-some-praise-me-because-i-am-a-colored/)

[Edmonia Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edmonia-lewis/)

> [I come from Nova Scotia, and I'd never seen a theater or been inside of a theater. When I was 17, my dad asked…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donald-sutherland/i-come-from-nova-scotia-and-i-d-never-seen-a-theater-or-been-inside/)

[Donald Sutherland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/donald-sutherland/)

## More by Richard Bach

> [“Heaven is not a place, and it's not a time. Heaven is being perfect.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/heaven-is-not-a-place-and-it-s-not-a-time-heaven-is-being-perfect/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [You'd chosen to be an upright biped on the surface of a small planet of a minor sun on the edge of a minor…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/you-d-chosen-to-be-an-upright-biped-on-the-surface-of-a-small-planet/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Your harshest truths are dreams, and your gentlest dreams are true.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/your-harshest-truths-are-dreams-and-your-gentlest-dreams-are-true/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [“Happiness is a choice. It is not always an easy one.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/happiness-is-a-choice-it-is-not-always-an-easy-one/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Argue for your limitations, and sure enough they're yours.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/argue-for-your-limitations-and-sure-enough-they-re-yours/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The world is a dream, you say, and it’s lovely, sometimes. Sunset. Clouds. Sky.” “No. The image is a dream. The beauty is real.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-world-is-a-dream-you-say-and-it-s-lovely-sometimes-sunset-clouds/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The original sin is to limit the Is. Don't.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-original-sin-is-to-limit-the-is-don-t/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Silly ideas, worth the admission price in smiles, but they're true. Is high-energy physics interesting because it's true or because it's crazy?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/silly-ideas-worth-the-admission-price-in-smiles-but-they-re-true-is/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The best way to pay for a lovely moment is to enjoy it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-best-way-to-pay-for-a-lovely-moment-is-to-enjoy-it/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [I am tired of clinging. Though I cannot see it with my eyes, I trust that the current knows where it is going. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/i-am-tired-of-clinging-though-i-cannot-see-it-with-my-eyes-i-trust/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [If you want to meet someone who can fix any situation you don't like, who can bring you happiness in spite of what other…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/if-you-want-to-meet-someone-who-can-fix-any-situation-you-don-t-like/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The space for what you want is already filled with what you settled for instead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-space-for-what-you-want-is-already-filled-with-what-you-settled/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [The books remind us that way down deep in our hearts, part of us knows that we are creatures of light and we cannot…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/the-books-remind-us-that-way-down-deep-in-our-hearts-part-of-us-knows/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Part of us is always the observer, and no matter what, it observes. It watches us. It does not care if we are happy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/part-of-us-is-always-the-observer-and-no-matter-what-it-observes-it/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

> [Kindle Singles is publishing on skates. It prints like lightning; our book meets readers in hours. I've spent so many years waiting for publishers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/kindle-singles-is-publishing-on-skates-it-prints-like-lightning-our/)

[Richard Bach](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

[Explore all 539 Richard Bach quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/)

## More Airplane quotes

> [The time that one gains cannot be accumulated in a storehouse; it is contradictory to want to save up existence, which, the fact is,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simone-de-beauvoir/the-time-that-one-gains-cannot-be-accumulated-in-a-storehouse-it-is/)

[Simone de Beauvoir](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simone-de-beauvoir/)

> [I shoot in black and white, sometimes color, sometimes if it looks good I shoot out the window of the airplanes or whatever, anything…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-barry/i-shoot-in-black-and-white-sometimes-color-sometimes-if-it-looks-good/)

[Robert Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-barry/)

> [I've jumped out of an airplane 34 times. I've dove 212 feet under water. I've done a lot of things that defied death.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jesse-ventura/i-ve-jumped-out-of-an-airplane-34-times-i-ve-dove-212-feet-under/)

[Jesse Ventura](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jesse-ventura/)

> [I believe that anyone who flies in an airplane and doesn't spend most of his time looking out the window wastes his money.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marc-reisner/i-believe-that-anyone-who-flies-in-an-airplane-and-doesn-t-spend-most/)

[Marc Reisner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marc-reisner/)

> [We live in a world where it has become politically correct to avoid absolutes. Many want all religions to be given the same honor,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/we-live-in-a-world-where-it-has-become-politically-correct-to-avoid/)

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

> [On the second airplane to france and we're done ! yeyyyyyyyyy !! this one was more full :P](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shmmopy/on-the-second-airplane-to-france-and-we-re-done-yeyyyyyyyyy-this-one/)

[Shmmopy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shmmopy/)

> [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](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/len-morgan/)

> [I'm 17 years old. I'm not a straight-A student or anything. Even so, I figured out how to make an Internet that they can't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/cory-doctorow/i-m-17-years-old-i-m-not-a-straight-a-student-or-anything-even-so-i/)

[Cory Doctorow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/cory-doctorow/)

> [I don't have a fear of flying; I have a fear of crashing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-bob-thornton/i-don-t-have-a-fear-of-flying-i-have-a-fear-of-crashing/)

[Billy Bob Thornton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-bob-thornton/)

> [From computers to information technology to airplanes, it has been America's unique blend of republican government and free-market capitalism that has allowed us to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-nethercutt/from-computers-to-information-technology-to-airplanes-it-has-been/)

[George Nethercutt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-nethercutt/)

> [I've been racking my brain. I've been trying to figure out how Bob Dole's luggage got on my airplane...I told the doctor, I said,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rush-limbaugh/i-ve-been-racking-my-brain-i-ve-been-trying-to-figure-out-how-bob/)

[Rush Limbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rush-limbaugh/)

> [Sometimes life is like being stuck in the middle-seat of an airplane, next to a ridiculously fat person and a crying baby.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sometimes-life-is-like-being-stuck-in-the-middle-seat-of-an-airplane/)

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

> [I'm sure the most favorite airplane in my career would still be the Sabre F86 cleft wing , which allowed me to be credited…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/buzz-aldrin/i-m-sure-the-most-favorite-airplane-in-my-career-would-still-be-the/)

[Buzz Aldrin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/buzz-aldrin/)

> [I do not use airplanes. They strike me as unsporting. You can have an automobile accident-and survive. You can be on a sinking ship-and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/isaac-asimov/i-do-not-use-airplanes-they-strike-me-as-unsporting-you-can-have-an/)

[Isaac Asimov](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/isaac-asimov/)

> [John Travolta said he sometimes lets his friends take control of his airplane even though they don't know what they're doing. Then Travolta said…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/conan-o-brien/john-travolta-said-he-sometimes-lets-his-friends-take-control-of-his/)

[Conan O'Brien](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/conan-o-brien/)

[Browse all 935 Airplane quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/airplane/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Without my airplane I am an ordinary man, and a useless one - a trainer without a horse, a sculptor without marble, a priest without a god. Without an airplane I am a lonely consumer of hamburgers...",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Richard Bach"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man-and-a-useless-one-a-trainer/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Airplane"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man-and-a-useless-one-a-trainer/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/richard-bach-424_airplane_without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man_1149540.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/richard-bach-424_airplane_without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man_1149540.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/57a/richard-bach-424_airplane_without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man_1149540.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Without my airplane I am an ordinary man, and a useless one - a trainer without a horse, a sculptor without…” — Richard Bach",
                "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": "Richard Bach",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-bach/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Without my airplane I am an...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man-and-a-useless-one-a-trainer/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-bach/without-my-airplane-i-am-an-ordinary-man-and-a-useless-one-a-trainer/#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
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
