--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: He can't fly around tall buildings, or…" description: "\"He can't fly around tall buildings, or outrun a speeding train, the only talent he seems to have is leaving a nasty stain!\" — Tim Burton" image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/tim-burton-2476_building_he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-ou_2558532.png" --- # He can't fly around tall buildings, or outrun a speeding… ![“He can't fly around tall buildings, or outrun a speeding train, the only talent he seems to have is leaving a nasty stain!” quote by Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/tim-burton-2476_building_he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-ou_2558532.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/tim-burton-2476_building_he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-ou_2558532.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/tim-burton-2476_building_he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-ou_2558532.png) > “He can't fly around tall buildings, or outrun a speeding train, the only talent he seems to have is leaving a nasty stain!” [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. A character, limited to leaving a mess, cannot perform heroic feats like flying or outrunning trains, highlighting comedic incompetence. **In simple terms:** He can only cause trouble, not heroic actions. Key Takeaway Accept one’s limitations with humor. Themes comedy incompetence heroism limitations absurdity Mood playful lighthearted Type satire entertaining When to use this quote - scriptwriting - character design - comic relief Key Concepts character flaw slapstick self‑deprecation Questions to Reflect On - What makes a character’s flaw endearing? - How can humor highlight deeper truths? A Different Perspective The joke may seem repetitive. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Fitness](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fitness/) [Talent](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/talent/) [Tall buildings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/tall-buildings/) [Train](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/train/) ## Related quotes > [Stain Boy Of all the super heroes, the strangest one by far, doesn't have a special power, or drive a fancy car. next to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/stain-boy-of-all-the-super-heroes-the-strangest-one-by-far-doesn-t/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [Life is beautiful. He who reads that As in the window of some distant, speeding train Knows what he wants, and what will befall.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-ashbery/life-is-beautiful-he-who-reads-that-as-in-the-window-of-some-distant/) [John Ashbery](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-ashbery/) > [The peculiar fascination which the speeding train has for us comes from the evident progress it is making toward its definite goal ahead.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roderick-e-stevens/the-peculiar-fascination-which-the-speeding-train-has-for-us-comes/) Roderick E. Stevens > [“was like being struck by a speeding train.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/philip-carlo/was-like-being-struck-by-a-speeding-train/) [Philip Carlo](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/philip-carlo/) > [“A brick could be used to stop a train. But I’ve got a better way to stop a speeding train. Stand firmly on the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jarod-kintz/a-brick-could-be-used-to-stop-a-train-but-i-ve-got-a-better-way-to/) [Jarod Kintz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jarod-kintz/) > [“Life is a speeding train coming towards you, you can either start running towards it or unfold a chair, open a bottle of beer,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric/life-is-a-speeding-train-coming-towards-you-you-can-either-start/) [Eric](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric/) > [“When they see the light at the end of the tunnel, some people run towards it. I, however, run from it as fast as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephanie-tom/when-they-see-the-light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel-some-people-run/) [Stephanie Tom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephanie-tom/) > [“Sir U\_\_ fell down from a speeding train, Which did some damage to his brain, And after that he did not know How to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/sir-u-fell-down-from-a-speeding-train-which-did-some-damage-to-his/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“Events are like telephone poles, streaming back past the observation platform of a speeding train.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erle-stanley-gardner/events-are-like-telephone-poles-streaming-back-past-the-observation/) [Erle Stanley Gardner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erle-stanley-gardner/) > [When you sit down to design something, it can be anything, a car, a toaster, a house, a tall building or a shoe, what…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tinker-hatfield/when-you-sit-down-to-design-something-it-can-be-anything-a-car-a/) [Tinker Hatfield](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tinker-hatfield/) > [Heroes didn't leap tall buildings or stop bullets with an outstretched hand; they didn't wear boots and capes. 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They can leap tall buildings in a single bound, they can go where no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-leman/moms-are-in-my-opinion-the-wonders-of-the-universe-they-can-leap-tall/) [Kevin Leman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-leman/) ## More by Tim Burton > [I grew up watching monster movies and horror movies, which I felt were like fairy tales and I think this always spoke to me.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-grew-up-watching-monster-movies-and-horror-movies-which-i-felt-were/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I find that the most special thing to me is if you've connected to people in some way: If someone comes up to you…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-find-that-the-most-special-thing-to-me-is-if-you-ve-connected-to/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [Minister: Welcome, brother! Do you reject Satan and all his works? Bunny Breckinridge: Sure.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/minister-welcome-brother-do-you-reject-satan-and-all-his-works-bunny/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I've always been more comfortable making my decisions from the subconscious level, or more emotionally, because I find it is more truthful to me;…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-ve-always-been-more-comfortable-making-my-decisions-from-the/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I don't really dream, I space out during the day - that's one of my problems wonder off when someone's talking to me. I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-don-t-really-dream-i-space-out-during-the-day-that-s-one-of-my/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I'm not a big fan of spiders, rats, especially if they're like - I got up one morning on a holiday recently, and there…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-m-not-a-big-fan-of-spiders-rats-especially-if-they-re-like-i-got-up/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I don't look at my films or my old drawings much, so that was an interesting way to kind of reconnect with myself a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-don-t-look-at-my-films-or-my-old-drawings-much-so-that-was-an/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [Some people get therapy, some people get to make movies.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/some-people-get-therapy-some-people-get-to-make-movies/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [My name is Jimmy, but my friends just call me the hideous penguin boy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/my-name-is-jimmy-but-my-friends-just-call-me-the-hideous-penguin-boy/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [One of the things I loved about the musical was that you listened to the soundtrack and it told you the story.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/one-of-the-things-i-loved-about-the-musical-was-that-you-listened-to/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [I never really got nightmares from movies. In fact, I recall my father saying when I was three years old that I would be…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/i-never-really-got-nightmares-from-movies-in-fact-i-recall-my-father/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [Things that I grew up with stay with me. You start a certain way, and then you spend your whole life trying to find…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/things-that-i-grew-up-with-stay-with-me-you-start-a-certain-way-and/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [But she knows she has a curse on her, a curse she cannot win. For if someone gets too close to her, the pins…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/but-she-knows-she-has-a-curse-on-her-a-curse-she-cannot-win-for-if/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [When I was growing up, Dr. Seuss was really my favorite. There was something about the lyrical nature and the simplicity of his work…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/when-i-was-growing-up-dr-seuss-was-really-my-favorite-there-was/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) > [When I went to Warner Bros., there was a woman named Bonnie Lee who was an executive who helped me to get to 'Pee-wee's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/when-i-went-to-warner-bros-there-was-a-woman-named-bonnie-lee-who-was/) [Tim Burton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) [Explore all 164 Tim Burton quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/) ## More Building quotes > [You, of Canada, are building a magnificent record of achievement. My country rejoices in it.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dwight-d-eisenhower/you-of-canada-are-building-a-magnificent-record-of-achievement-my/) [Dwight D. Eisenhower](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dwight-d-eisenhower/) > [One of the things the United States does well is building coalitions. What the U.S. knows is that if you don't have a coalition…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/shimon-peres/one-of-the-things-the-united-states-does-well-is-building-coalitions/) [Shimon Peres](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/shimon-peres/) > [Surely, if Mother Nature had been consulted, she would never have consented to building a city in New Orleans.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mortimer-zuckerman/surely-if-mother-nature-had-been-consulted-she-would-never-have/) [Mortimer Zuckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mortimer-zuckerman/) > [Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his God, that he owes account to none other for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-jefferson/believing-with-you-that-religion-is-a-matter-which-lies-solely/) [Thomas Jefferson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-jefferson/) > [Peace is an ongoing process. It begins with the first step and it does not end. We, all of us alive today, are the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-krieger/peace-is-an-ongoing-process-it-begins-with-the-first-step-and-it-does/) [David Krieger](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-krieger/) > [I've done so many other projects where you're in a room with a reader and you're acting your lines out: 'We have to get…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-cummings/i-ve-done-so-many-other-projects-where-you-re-in-a-room-with-a-reader/) [Jim Cummings](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-cummings/) > [Absolutely, you can improve and become better at toughness. It's a talent, but it can be acquired, too. I think of it like building…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jim-harbaugh/absolutely-you-can-improve-and-become-better-at-toughness-it-s-a/) [Jim Harbaugh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jim-harbaugh/) > [ T\]he church is not a place. It's not a building. It's not a preaching point. It's not a spiritual service provider. It's a people… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mark-dever/t-he-church-is-not-a-place-it-s-not-a-building-it-s-not-a-preaching/) [Mark Dever](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mark-dever/) > [I'd like to play Ian Paisley, actually. I'd need building up, though he's very frail now.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/liam-neeson/i-d-like-to-play-ian-paisley-actually-i-d-need-building-up-though-he/) [Liam Neeson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/liam-neeson/) > [Death is but an aspect of life, and the destruction of one material form is but a prelude to building up of another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/death-is-but-an-aspect-of-life-and-the-destruction-of-one-material/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [Some architects have a preconceived notion of what a building should be](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/curtis-w-fentress/some-architects-have-a-preconceived-notion-of-what-a-building-should/) [Curtis W. 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I need to act and keep building.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dillian-whyte/i-m-30-i-m-about-to-hit-my-prime-now-i-need-to-act-and-keep-building/) [Dillian Whyte](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dillian-whyte/) > [The essential functions of the mind consist in understanding and in inventing, in other words, in building up structures by structuring reality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-piaget/the-essential-functions-of-the-mind-consist-in-understanding-and-in/) [Jean Piaget](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-piaget/) > [Practically every time I speak up at a school conference, a political event, or my apartment building association's annual meeting, I'm met with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/pamela-druckerman/practically-every-time-i-speak-up-at-a-school-conference-a-political/) [Pamela Druckerman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/pamela-druckerman/) Browse all 5,974 Building quotes ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "He can't fly around tall buildings, or outrun a speeding train, the only talent he seems to have is leaving a nasty stain!", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Tim Burton" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-outrun-a-speeding-train-the/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Building" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-outrun-a-speeding-train-the/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/tim-burton-2476_building_he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-ou_2558532.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/tim-burton-2476_building_he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-ou_2558532.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/27c/tim-burton-2476_building_he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-ou_2558532.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“He can't fly around tall buildings, or outrun a speeding train, the only talent he seems to have is leaving…” — Tim Burton", "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": "Tim Burton", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tim-burton/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "He can't fly around tall buildings,...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-outrun-a-speeding-train-the/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tim-burton/he-can-t-fly-around-tall-buildings-or-outrun-a-speeding-train-the/#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 } } ] } ```