Wisdom Quote: Reach Exceeding Grasp

“Ah, but a man's reach should exceed his grasp, or what's a heaven for?”
-Robert Browning

What I love about this quote is how it sets forth a permissive, even noble, view of trying something new or outlandish and then failing. All too often we beat ourselves up emotionally when we set a lofty goal and don't achieve the success we hope. Eventually this results in the depressing decision to try nothing new lest another failure await. But Browning's quote reminds us that to strive for what we may not appear worthy or capable of achieving can be one of the highest attributes of a person. The trick is to not be arrogant in the quest for the summit. In the Greek myth Icarus fell from the sky for flying too close to the sun, but its good exercise to strive for what we've previously been unable to accomplish with a combination of humility, perseverance and the soft landing that comes from having a healthy ego that doesn't take either itself or any outcome too seriously. So go on, reach!

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