--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his…" description: "\"Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?\" — Robert Browning" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/robert-browning-734_grasp_ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-g_2418606.png" --- # Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a… ![“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?” quote by Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/robert-browning-734_grasp_ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-g_2418606.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/robert-browning-734_grasp_ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-g_2418606.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/robert-browning-734_grasp_ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-g_2418606.png) > “Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?” [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Aspire beyond current limits; aim higher than what you can immediately achieve. **In simple terms:** Aim higher than what you can achieve. Key Takeaway Set goals beyond your comfort zone. Themes ambition growth limits aspiration Mood determined hopeful Type inspirational philosophical When to use this quote - career planning - personal development - creative projects - overcoming fear Key Concepts human potential self‑transcendence Questions to Reflect On - What limits are you accepting? - How can you balance ambition with feasibility? A Different Perspective Idealistic goals may be unrealistic without practical steps. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Heaven](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/heaven/) [Inspirational](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/inspirational/) ## Related quotes > [“A man's reach should exceed his grasp”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-grasp/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, said Browning, and so it has - extended by the length of an artist's brush.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-breault/ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-grasp-said-browning-and-so-it/) [Robert Breault](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-breault/) > [“Every man's reach should exceed his grasp.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/donna-massa-chappee/every-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-grasp/) Donna Massa-Chappee > [Your reach should always exceed your grasp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/harvey-cox/your-reach-should-always-exceed-your-grasp/) [Harvey Cox](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/harvey-cox/) > [Your reach should exceed your grasp](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/your-reach-should-exceed-your-grasp/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Always let your reach exceed your grasp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/always-let-your-reach-exceed-your-grasp/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [...you have to reach for things beyond your grasp, or what is heaven for](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/garth-stein/you-have-to-reach-for-things-beyond-your-grasp-or-what-is-heaven-for/) [Garth Stein](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/garth-stein/) > [Every man is made to reach out beyond his grasp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oswald-chambers/every-man-is-made-to-reach-out-beyond-his-grasp/) [Oswald Chambers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oswald-chambers/) > [I will commit not the terrible crime of aiming too low. I will do the work that a failure will not do. I will…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/og-mandino/i-will-commit-not-the-terrible-crime-of-aiming-too-low-i-will-do-the/) [Og Mandino](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/og-mandino/) > [A man can not reach greatness, unless the woman herself leads him. 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This is the portion…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samuel-willard/that-man-is-out-of-reach-of-harm-in-this-life-who-is-sure-of/) Samuel Willard > [Nothing is too high for a man to reach, but he must climb with care and confidence](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hans-christian-andersen/nothing-is-too-high-for-a-man-to-reach-but-he-must-climb-with-care/) [Hans Christian Andersen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hans-christian-andersen/) > [Hungry man, reach for the book: it is a weapon.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertolt-brecht/hungry-man-reach-for-the-book-it-is-a-weapon/) [Bertolt Brecht](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertolt-brecht/) ## More by Robert Browning > [I would have rummaged, ransacked at the word; Those old odd corners of an empty heart; For remnants of dim love the long disused,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/i-would-have-rummaged-ransacked-at-the-word-those-old-odd-corners-of/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“One who never turned his back but marched breast forward, never doubted clouds would break, never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/one-who-never-turned-his-back-but-marched-breast-forward-never/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [All service ranks the same with God,- With God, whose puppets, best and worst, Are we: there is no last nor first.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/all-service-ranks-the-same-with-god-with-god-whose-puppets-best-and/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“Have you found your life distasteful? My life did and does smack sweet. Was your youth of pleasure wasteful? Mine I save and hold…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/have-you-found-your-life-distasteful-my-life-did-and-does-smack-sweet/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [“I was ever a fighter, so---one fight more, The best and the last! I would hate that death bandaged my eyes and forbore, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/i-was-ever-a-fighter-so-one-fight-more-the-best-and-the-last-i-would/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [But how carve way i' the life that lies before, If bent on groaning ever for the past?](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/but-how-carve-way-i-the-life-that-lies-before-if-bent-on-groaning/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [If you get simple beauty and naught else, you get about the best thing God invents.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/if-you-get-simple-beauty-and-naught-else-you-get-about-the-best-thing/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [How good is man's life, the mere living! How fit to employ all the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/how-good-is-man-s-life-the-mere-living-how-fit-to-employ-all-the/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [Oh, to be in England Now that April's there, And whoever wakes in England Sees, some morning, unaware.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/oh-to-be-in-england-now-that-april-s-there-and-whoever-wakes-in/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [The ultimate, angels' law, Indulging every instinct of the soul There where law, life, joy, impulse are one thing!](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/the-ultimate-angels-law-indulging-every-instinct-of-the-soul-there/) [Robert Browning](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/) > [Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made. 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Likewise, our brainpower may not stretch to the deepest aspects of reality. The bedrock nature of space…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/martin-rees/a-monkey-is-unaware-that-atoms-exist-likewise-our-brainpower-may-not/) [Martin Rees](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/martin-rees/) > [Don't get me wrong, some of the mis-informed articles I have read over the last few weeks have been incredibly frustrating, but for my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/adam-rickitt/don-t-get-me-wrong-some-of-the-mis-informed-articles-i-have-read-over/) [Adam Rickitt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/adam-rickitt/) > [“Man has to postulate weirdness, before reaching the new science.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/toba-beta/man-has-to-postulate-weirdness-before-reaching-the-new-science/) [Toba Beta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/toba-beta/) > [“You can't grasp the wonderful and keep your feet on the ground.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/the-afters/you-can-t-grasp-the-wonderful-and-keep-your-feet-on-the-ground/) The Afters > [We speak of 'software eating the world,' 'the Internet of Things,' and we massify 'data' by declaring it 'Big.' But these concepts remain for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-battelle/we-speak-of-software-eating-the-world-the-internet-of-things-and-we/) [John Battelle](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-battelle/) > [“I cannot grasp all that I am.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/augustine/i-cannot-grasp-all-that-i-am/) [Augustine](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/augustine/) > [Politicians have such large egos that it usually takes them an inordinately long time to grasp when they've become a pathetic joke.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/politicians-have-such-large-egos-that-it-usually-takes-them-an/) [Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/) > [Venice is incredible. Although you may have seen it in pictures, you can't grasp how beautiful it is until you visit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gino-d-acampo/venice-is-incredible-although-you-may-have-seen-it-in-pictures-you/) [Gino D'Acampo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gino-d-acampo/) > [If our governments are so compromised that they will not tell us the truth, then we must step forward to grasp it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-harrison/if-our-governments-are-so-compromised-that-they-will-not-tell-us-the/) [Sara Harrison](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-harrison/) > [“... your grasp, even in fury, would have a charm for me...”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charlotte-bronte/your-grasp-even-in-fury-would-have-a-charm-for-me/) [Charlotte Brontë](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charlotte-bronte/) > [Phoebe Waller-Bridge has an insane grasp of the human condition.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jamie-demetriou/phoebe-waller-bridge-has-an-insane-grasp-of-the-human-condition/) [Jamie Demetriou](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jamie-demetriou/) > [When you let go of something good, prepare to grasp something better.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dedrick-d-l-pitter/when-you-let-go-of-something-good-prepare-to-grasp-something-better/) [Dedrick D L Pitter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dedrick-d-l-pitter/) > [Rise above oneself and grasp the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/archimedes/rise-above-oneself-and-grasp-the-world/) [Archimedes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/archimedes/) > [I want to build the next CNN with 'VICE' - it's within my grasp.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shane-smith/i-want-to-build-the-next-cnn-with-vice-it-s-within-my-grasp/) [Shane Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shane-smith/) > [I always liked Casey Stengel as a manager because he seemed to have a grasp of so many things.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-alston/i-always-liked-casey-stengel-as-a-manager-because-he-seemed-to-have-a/) [Walter Alston](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-alston/) Browse all 174 Grasp quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Robert Browning" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-grasp-or-what-s-a-heaven-for/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Grasp" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-grasp-or-what-s-a-heaven-for/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/robert-browning-734_grasp_ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-g_2418606.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/robert-browning-734_grasp_ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-g_2418606.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/fcb/robert-browning-734_grasp_ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-g_2418606.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, Or what's a heaven for?” — Robert Browning", "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": "Robert Browning", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-browning/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Ah, but a man's reach should...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-grasp-or-what-s-a-heaven-for/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-browning/ah-but-a-man-s-reach-should-exceed-his-grasp-or-what-s-a-heaven-for/#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 } } ] } ```