proverb · Words worth keeping
Even the mighty eagle can’t soar higher than the stars.
Even the mighty eagle can’t soar higher than the stars.
Historical period not yet established
Understand the thought
Meaning in plain English
An eagle unable to rise above the stars gives even impressive power a limit. The saying questions treating strength as unlimited.
What the words are saying
The vast height contrast is an image rather than an astronomical or flight-performance statement. A useful application identifies actual constraints without using them to dismiss every ambitious aim. The words establish neither a literal bird altitude nor a complete rule about what a person can accomplish.
Everyday example
Someone recognises a project’s real constraints while considering which parts of its aim remain feasible.
When to use it
Use it to discuss limits with possibility still assessed.
What it does not mean
No exact flight limit or universal judgment of an ambition is established.
Agent-assisted editorial interpretation. This explains the words; it does not by itself verify their author or earliest origin.
Attribution & collection notes
- Author or tradition
- Traditional
Attribution: traditional - Country attributed
- Not established
A country attribution does not establish the earliest origin. - Historical period
- Historical period not yet established
No sufficiently supported historical placement has been established. Import and download dates are not treated as composition dates. - Recorded source
- Contributor-provided wisdom reference (2014 AD)
Supplied reference B; unit 35; PDF page 11; collection label: Eskimo
A collection's publication date can be later than the words it records.
- Culture
- Eskimo