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Ladder Quotes

Sayings on the long climb toward achievement.

These ladder quotes treat the climb as both a literal opportunity and a lasting metaphor, from giving kids from ordinary backgrounds a way up to admitting there's still far to go. See our Climb quotes.

The mathematician has reached the highest rung on the ladder of human thought.

Quotes by Havelock Ellis

As we ascend the social ladder, viciousness wears a thicker mask.

Quotes by Erich Fromm

Unemployment rates tend to rise and fall in roughly equal proportion at all rungs of the ladder, and that happened between 1973 and 1985.

Quotes by Edmund Phelps

A poet is a man who puts up a ladder to a star and climbs it while playing a violin.

Quotes by Edmond de Goncourt

With ladder matches, you can't expect anything other than craziness.

Quotes by Daniel Bryan

When you are going up the corporate ladder or the government ladder, you have to take some risk.

Quotes by Condoleezza Rice

Courage is the ladder on which all the other virtues mount.

Quotes by Clare Boothe Luce

Education was the motor that allowed me to make my way up the ladder.

Quotes by Chieh Huang

You don't know a ladder has splinters until you slide down it.

Quotes by Bum Phillips

If I were to have a match with Lita, I would make that a championship ladder match.

Quotes by Bayley

There's this idea that at the lowest rungs of the social ladder in an African family is a childless woman - and the lowest rung of all is a motherless child.

Quotes by Ayobami Adebayo

Trailer home borrowers, mostly near the bottom of the economic ladder, often default on their loans.

Quotes by Alex Berenson

Frequently Asked Questions

What does the ladder symbolize in these quotes?
Opportunity and progress — several describe giving people from ordinary backgrounds a way to rise, or reflecting on how far one has already climbed.
Is success always described as busy near the summit?
No, actually the opposite — one quote observes that few people remain once you reach the highest rungs, implying most give up climbing well before then.
Do any quotes question the value of climbing itself?
Yes, one warns that focusing too hard on reaching an imaginary top rung can mean missing out on enjoying the climb along the way.
Are these quotes from people who feel they've arrived?
Not entirely — one speaker notes having risen quite high already but still having a long distance left toward their larger goal.
How does this topic relate to Climb quotes?
They share the same upward theme, so our Climb quotes make a natural next stop for more on ambition and progress.

Some voices here celebrate reaching new heights, while others warn against chasing an imaginary rung instead of enjoying the journey. Explore our Being or About quotes as well.